


Brothers Under the Sun

by gullible_gearworth



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anal Sex, Dragon Riders, Dragons, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, McHanzo - Freeform, Oral Sex, Overwatch - Freeform, Pegging, Romance, Science Fiction, Sex, Trans Character, Trans Hanzo, don't you worry it's all good here lol, the non-con reference is for a minor tidbit of Jesse's past, the other sex tags are for the treats at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-01-23 05:20:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 51,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12499676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gullible_gearworth/pseuds/gullible_gearworth
Summary: In the lawless, Omnic-destroyed lands of the American west, Jesse McCree is the star rider of the infamous rodeo, the Red Sun Arena; under the apprenticeship of Gabriel Reyes--along with the arena's owner, the Junker Queen--he's known for his skills with riding horses, taming bulls, and being a good-looking, gun-toting sharpshooter.His career and life changes one day when the arena receives a shipment from the Deadlock gang; a gift specified for the aging cowboy himself, he comes to find that he's been given a living, breathing dragon by the name of Hanzo Shimada.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In which Jesse nearly dies at the hands of an OR-15 unit and comes to find that dragon's aren't just creatures in fairy tails.

As soon as the lights dimmed in the arena, the crowd in the stands began to go absolutely wild; popcorn was scattered, beer was sloshed and chugged, and a handful of bras and panties were thrown to the dirt below the bleachers. Cheers echoed and rose to a near-deafening roar as a single spotlight focused on a massive, rusted metal door to the northern side of the arena; it was shaking and rattling on it’s hinges, close to breaking open with the force of the enraged monster within.

A horrific, mechanical, and screeching howl could be heard from within, along with the frantic commands and barks of cowhands making sure that everything was ready for the big show. More sounds of cheering and raw-energy filled the audience as an ancient, cracked scoreboard lit up, showing an eight-second timer and two infamous names; the cowboy Jesse James McCree, and his “bull”, Old Olly.

These two were usually the biggest performances of any night at the Red Sun Arena; McCree himself was a veteran sharpshooter and rodeo rider who could handle anything from a furious bronco, to an agitated bull bigger than any heifer, and the Frankenstein-esque beast that was Old Olly, a retired--or, stolen and brainwashed, more like--OR-15 unit that was reprogrammed to behave like a real rodeo bull. Together, those two in one show could sell tickets faster than they could be printed. Folks would travel for days on end, through the wastelands of the North American deserts, just to witness the raw power that both of them put out in the corral; what was more impressive was that McCree was the only one out of any of the other cowboys who had handled more than eight seconds on the saddle of the metal beast. Some claimed it was raw skill; others claimed that it was supernatural. There wasn’t anything presented to the rider that he couldn’t defeat.

With a blaring horn, the roar of the crowd dropped to a murmur, and for a split second, time seemed to freeze as the doors finally swung open with a loud _clang_ against the concrete walls to either side. Once Olly herself emerged, the crowd went buckwild once again; her armor had rusted and been dirtied to a sickly, greenish brown, and her arms were removed to keep her from turning around and the grabbing the cowboys from her back. Even more unsettling was the massive, longhorn skull strapped to her head, the demonic-glow from her rage-filled eyes seeping through the eye sockets as she attempted to shake it off her head; that, with her roaring and her frantic bucking movements really did make her look like a creature from the pits of hell.

And if she was a creature from the pits of hell, the cowboy on her back was the conquering angle of doom, holding on for dear life with one hand on the reins and one holding down his hat as the unit bucked, spun, and did everything in her power to kick Jesse off. The members of the crowd grew tense as Olly began leaping and leaning on her sides, threatening to flop on her side and crush McCree with her full weight if he didn’t get off and away soon. His muscles strained even harder, his head spinning wildly as he attempted to follow the movements of the beast; he didn’t realize the buzzer had gone off more than three seconds ago before the crowd chanted his name over the victorious sound of music coming from the speakers.

Without question, Jesse let go and jumped to the side, landing on his shoulder as he rolled away from the still-bucking machine. Taking a split second to catch his breath and assess his surroundings, he was about to stand and make a break for the metal barriers around the corral when he realized something was off. Patting the top of his head, he realized his hat was gone and upside down in the dirt...directly in the path of the charging Omnic.

The crowd’s cheer was still going, but this time, the demeanor had changed to shock and a hint of terror as they realized that Olly was ignoring her animalistic-programming and charging at full-gallop towards the cowboy and his iconic hat. Jesse himself stood in raw fear; in his years of riding the OR-15 unit, he had never seen her behave like this. He was frozen in shock, unsure if he would make it up and over the barrier in time...and if his precious Stenson would survive her crushing hooves. As per usual, the part of him that was still headstrong saw his hat as a priority over his life; Jesse figured he had about ten seconds before Olly could reach him. It was more than enough time for him to snatch it and run out of the way in time for the cowhands to lasso the robot and take her back to her stable. For McCree, the personal attachment to his hat was worth any injury he could receive; even if death came from the enraged, bull-like centaur, it would be worth it.

He jumped forward and snatched the hat out of the dirt, dodging to the side mere seconds before Olly could trample him. As the unit skidded past, kicking up heavy amounts of dust, he took a moment to stand triumphantly, ready to actually sprint towards the safety of the solid, metal fence when an immense force slammed into him from behind. The jagged nasal bone of Olly’s mask jabbed his lower back, and the wet burning sensation told him it had definitely broken the skin; her weight pressed his front forward, knocking every ounce of wind from his lungs as he was tossed several feet in front of the unit, coughing and letting shocked tears spring from his eyes as he landed face-first in the cold dirt.

By this point, the majority of the audience were either screaming in terror at the idea of watching their idol die at the hands of a rogue Omnic, or handing bets on the odds of McCree surviving being turned into human-spaghetti underneath her crushing feet. For the first time in nearly twenty years, the infamous Jesse McCree was about to die at the hands of the very creature he had broken and ridden almost every show for most of his adult life; no one was prepared to watch him die, and even he wasn’t prepared to go, even if it was for his bullet-studded hat.

The cowboy used the last reserves of his strength to roll around, squinting up at her glowing eyes as she took several steps back from his fallen form. He squeezed them shut as she reared to her full height, waving her front legs for effect as she prepared to slam her weight down onto him....until a glowing, red-hot lasso whipped around her chest, turning her away and jerking her back from McCree as the rodeo clowns and cowhands--riding atop real horses, thankfully--pulled her away from the cowboy and herded her back towards the metal doors and into her own corral.

On shaking arms and legs, his belly tight and cold, Jesse struggled to get on his knees, panting and holding back vomit as a deep, smoke-worn voice barked his name in concern. “Now what in the fresh hell makes you think your damn hat is more important that your life!?” Before he could look up, a large hand coming from the source of the voice grabbed him by the back of the shirt, yanking him to his wobbling feet. He gasped as a massive, bearded man shoved his hat against his chest, the dull ache of the bull’s charge beginning to bloom all over his torso.

“A man’s hat is his most prized possession,” Jesse mumbled, holding his form around his hat and carefully moving his ankles and arms, making sure that everything else was in tip-top shape. The older cowboy, a veteran trick-rider by the name of Gabriel “Reaper” Reyes, curled his lip in annoyance at Jesse’s excuse; still, he whistled for his steed to trot over, climbing onto the massive horse as he helped pull up Jesse, allowing the sore and bruised cowboy to sit behind him. Relieved that he’s safe and alive--rescued by another Red Sun legend, none-the-less--the crowd chants his name once more; fueled by his own ego, he can’t help but weakly wave his hat to the crowd as Gabe steadily directs his horse into the safety of the main corral.

\---

“So, what’s the damage?” Gabriel asked as the main medic wrapped a clean gauze around his waist and chest. The cowboy grunted as the constricting bandage held his ribs together, keeping everything in place and safe from any other outside distresses.

“One rib is cracked and the bruising on the back is looking pretty intense, along with the gash from her mask,” She replied, looking back at the older man. “Still, a few days of rest, some pain meds, and an ice pack should do the job.” She turned back, giving Jesse a judging look as she did another once-over on all of is dressings, handing him his shirt. “You’re one lucky son-of-a-bitch, Jesse McCree,” The main medic mumbled under her breath; Jesse rolled his eyes in response as Gabriel chuckled silently.

He grunted as he pulled his shirt on, forcing his already-stiff back and shoulders to stretch underneath the tight bandage and swollen bruising. The medic handed him his pills and a damp ice pack. “I added some sleeping pills just in case the pain is too much; and I want you to be resting instead of working,” She added aloud, turning her gaze to Gabriel. The older man simply shrugged, acting as if he was innocent. Assuming he was free to head up to his private quarters, McCree attempted an escape past Reyes, who had the audacity to clap a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Nuh, uh-uh,” He mumbled. “You’re coming with me, Jess.”

“You ain’t even gonna let me finish the show?” He huffed, “I at least want to see if anyone else can take on Olly.”

Gabe chuckled, leading him away from the medbay and back into the main hallway by the stables. “You of all people should know damn well that no-one else can handle her, and there will always be replay tapes broadcasting on tv until the next rodeo,” He commented. “Besides, there will always be more shows in the future, plus, both the doctor and I want you to rest, and...the boss wants to talk to you about something.”

\---

Jamison Fawkes was the last person McCree wanted to talk to after his whole ordeal; not to mention, he hated the kid for a multitude of reasons. Jamie was nearly half his age, making twice his salary, and had the option to sit in a comfortable and protected office while the cowboy and his fellow beast-tamers had to do the dirty work to keep business in the arena running. Plus, he was obnoxious and cocky, almost as coltish as Jesse was at that age; he was more terrifying than Jesse, however, simply because of his background and the grand amount of wealth and power backing him up.

Still, as intolerable as he was, he knew how to run the place well, even if he needed help from the other, older adults every so often.

Jesse pushed aside the blanket-door to Jamie’s office, entering the warm-lit room that had been carved from the very stone that the entire arena was made out of. A mess of paperwork, trinkets, treasures, and even un-finished weapons and machinery scattered the room; in his chair, the kid could barely sit still, fidgeting and scratching at his right arm as he struggled to read an inventory report...or, rather, was instead watching a video on how to put together a grenade using a baseball and some steel wool. His dusty boot and right prosthetic peg-leg were propped on the desk as he closed out the secondary window on his tablet, pretending to read what he was supposed to be reading. The cowboy cleared his voice. “You called for me, Fawkes?”

“Yes I did, old Jesse-boy!” Jamie chimed, throwing the tablet on the table with a loud thud. “We just got in a new shipment today, specifically a present just for you!”

McCree crossed his arms over his wide chest, sighing. “Just get it over with: what is it and who’s it from?”

The younger man giggled, causing Jesse’s stomach to tighten in annoyance at the many noises he made. “A surprise gift from some...old friends of yours.” His gangly form rose from the chair, nearly surpassing McCree in height before he lowered his head and shoulders, giving him a goblin-like appearance. “I have a special feeling that you’re gonna love it!”

The cowman’s heart dropped into his stomach at the idea of the Deadlock Gang still trying to keep in contact with him. “Well, what the hell is it? If this is a joke, it sure as hell ain’t funny anymore...wasn’t even funny from the start, to be quite honest with ya.”

“I’ll give you a hint,” Jamie teased, putting a smug look on his thin face. “Did you ever watch any fantasy movies as a kid? You know, magic and wizards, maybe a unicorn or two?”

McCree scoffed. “The only movie we had was an ancient DVD copy of some horse cartoon from the early 2000s,” He replied. “So no, not exactly. Didn’t really have the money to go to the movies either, now that I think about it.”

Jamie rolled his eyes, his voice lowering to a more serious pitch at Jesse’s darker tone. “Save the sob story for later,” He grumbled. “I at least hope you know what a dragon is, McCree. Cuz I’m pretty bloody sure that’s what your old gang sent us.”

\---

The creature caged in the shipping bay didn’t look like a dragon at all; by McCree’s standards, it was more of a hairless, grey-blue lion, with a sparse mane travelling down it’s back. It lay coiled in the far corner like a resting snake, it’s large ears swivelling towards the cowboy and his boss as they approached the metal bars. Jesse stopped to stare for a second, in complete shock as he attempted to process what kind of creature lay in front of him; it may not have been exactly what he imagined, but he couldn’t think of any other earthly creature that looked like it. It had to be what Fawkes said: a goddamned dragon.

“OY!” Jamison barked, blowing out a harsh whistle as he kicked the bars of the cage. “Up n’ at ‘em, Draco!” His shrilled voiced only caused the creature to curl itself into an even tighter ball. “We got you a new friend here. Why don’t you come on out and...give him a little treat?”

The beast finally raised its lion-like head, . A graying beard hung from it’s square jaws, and worn, golden eyes studied McCree through the metal bars separating them; it was obvious that the dragon had seen better days, but through the cowboy’s standards, it was still an immensely beautiful creature. With a huff, it struggled to stand on it’s stocky legs, loping over towards the cage entrance as if it were...well, as if it were a massive cat.

“So, what do you think?” Jamie asked, turning to McCree as he yanked on a chain attached to the dragon’s ankle, pulling it closer towards the bars. “It’s a beauty, ain’t it?”

McCree had no words, attempting to process what was standing before him, and at a complete loss of thought. He couldn’t process the idea of a dragon being real; working at the rodeo, he had seen all types of people, and had ridden all types of animals However, nothing had prepared him for this. Even more so was the feeling of heartbreak and guilt that came from seeing such a magnificent and beautiful dragon shoved in a cage that was barely as big as itself; hell, Olly and the other broncos were treated ten times better than this! He cleared his throat, struggling to form a response. “I...guess it is quite a beauty. Still...what do you plan on doing with it? I don’t think any one here has had experience with riding...or, even breaking-in dragons.”

Jamison turned to him with a dark and dangerous look. “You’re gonna break it in, and you’re gonna ride it.” He didn’t break eye contact, and it took Jesse’s own glare to change his demeanor back to his gratingly-cheerful self. “Plus, this one’s special: we think it has the ability to carry _AND_ sire little hatchlings, so there’s a chance we can breed it with the other dragon your Deadlock buddies found a few weeks before they picked up this one. We can sell bloody dragon pups for triple the amount we get for foals and calves!”

"That's a bit of a fucked-up way to put it, don't you think?" McCree questioned, turning to stare his younger boss down. "I get that this is...technically an animal, but I've seen you have more respect to a scrawny, mud-covered mule."

Jamie grunted, waving his hand to ignore the rider's lecture on morals. "We're trying to make money here, McCree; and in the state that this country's in, I don't think there're any more room for morals and ethics."

Even without Jamison's questionable language, the idea of using the dragon for breeding made something in Jesse’s stomach turn; he glanced out of the corner of his eye to see the serpent’s ears to flatten as it’s eyes flashed gold in a bout of rage. “Anyways, you said there’s another one?” He pretended to be shocked as he changed the conversation, trying to process of more than one of these animals even existing.

Jamie nodded, ignoring the dragon’s rumbling growl. “The one they kept is younger and just a bit smaller, but it’s still useful in more ways than one, just like our blue beastie here,” He yanked on the chain and whistled once again. “Ooh, right! Show Jesse here your...thing! The little trick you do, where you can make yourself look like one of us!” He pointed a finger to the dragon, then at his own body.

The beast hesitated for a second, taking a moment to glance at Jesse out of the corner of it’s eye as it curled in on itself, it’s whole form glowing as it morphed from a massive, lumbering dragon, to the form of a beefy, tattooed Asian man. He stood up fully as Jameson swung the cage door open, still keeping a tight grip on the chain that wrapped around his ankle. As awkward and shocking as this whole situation was, Jesse couldn’t help but silently admit to himself that the dragon was somehow even just as beautiful in this humanoid form. Under the glaring shine of the warehouse lights, a dusting of silver-blue scales were brushed across his sharp cheekbones and other parts of his body, glinting in the dull light; even more impressive was a massive, intricate tattoo of a thunderstorm and a coiled dragon, covering everything on his left from starting from the top of his wrist and just above his breast. His coal-black hair hung down to his shoulders, and just like his dragon form, a graying beard sat atop his powerful jaw, even moving up towards his ears and sticking wildly from the sides.

In a trance-like state, McCree nearly jumped out of his skin as Jameson planted a hand on the dragon’s back and pushed him forward; instinctively, Jesse wrapped his arms around the man to catch him before he could fall over. The dragon turned to glare at Jamie as the other handlers began to crowd around, laughing at the beast’s expense and Jesse’s fresh embarrassment. Securely in his arms, the smaller man’s skin was impossibly hot, and a dark blush flashed across McCree’s cheeks as he finally turned to look up at the massive cowboy. His eyes were dark and tired, yet full of experience and the age that came with seeing everything and anything the universe had to offer.

“Soft and fertile, ain’t he?” Jamie whispered, licking his lips as his eyes dragged across the expanse of the man’s exposed back. The other handlers shifted a bit closer, attempting to get a glimpse of the exposed animal-turned-man. “We’ll make a pretty penny if we let private members borrow him for a night or two to do as they please. If you want, we’ll let you have the first round _for free_.”

The cowboy nearly gagged in disgust at the treatment of the dragon currently in his arms, especially as the other man’s smaller composure went from frustration to unease as he glanced around at the other cowhands who dared enough to get a closer look. Whether this dragon was using his human form as a disguise, or vice versa, using him for sex and breeding would have plenty of legal complications on their hands; while there were next to no laws in the southwestern American wastelands, the immoral idea of degrading a person like this wasn’t uncommon, but it still made the cowboy sick with rage.

Jesse carefully placed his hands on the dragon's shoulders in attempt to push him away, stopping when he noticed the dragon was staring directly into his eyes. Time seemed to stop and everything went dead silent as the dragon’s eyes flashed that dangerous gold color; a feeling of warmth and a strong,defensive instinct of some sort filled Jesse’s core, and he was flooded with the emotion of desperation as a single voice entered his head: _Help me_.

“Uuuhh...no fucking thank you,” Jesse growled at Jamison, ignoring the man in his arms for the time being; still, he locked eyes once more, jerking his head in the tiniest nodding motion, hoping that he would understand. “I’d prefer not to violate a sentient being who shouldn’t even be in human hands.”

Jamison shrugged as he yanked the man’s chain, studying the cowman before him for some before finally responding. “If you say so, bucko,” He replied, grabbing the dragon by the head to push him back into his cage. The man went quickly from human to dragon once more, pressing his flank against the cage walls as he continued to pace in agitation. The other man, still holding the chain, playfully spun it around as he turned back to McCree. “Still, I want you healed up and ready as soon as you can; if you can get this thing broken and saddled in three days, ticket sales will triple in size!”

“What do you mean by ‘broken’, exactly?” McCree questioned his boss as he crossed his shaking arms back over his chest. “This dragon’s way smarter than anything else we’ve seen, and it deserves the respect that any of us humans do.”

Jamie leaned up against the cage as the dragon continued it’s pacing, baring it’s teeth and panting heavily as it fell into a state of stress. “Oh, Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. You of all people know how to break an animal of any kind; and besides, if this thing was sentient, it would’ve been smart enough to stay where it came from. It’s just a dumb monster that wandered it’s way onto our lands. You’re gonna have to teach it a lesson in the arena; ride it until it knows you’re the boss and it’s the bitch-”

He began to shriek and flail around as the dragon yanked his right arm through the cage, clamping it in his crushing jaws; with a disgusting snarl and several shakes of his head, the limb was stripped down to the bone in mere seconds. The other cowboys dropped everything that they were doing and scrambled over; as much as he hated the kid, even Jesse jumped forward, wrapping one around around Jamie’s ribs and one hand grasped his his dirtied shirt, attempting to at least rip him away from the dragon’s teeth.

Even when the electric prods were snaked through the cage and jabbed at the dragon’s scales, the beast didn’t even budge; instead, he clamped his jaws down on the remains of Jameson’s arm even harder than before, twisting his head in a quick blur. In a sickening crack, what was left of the forearm was ripped from the socket.

Jamison collapsed on the chilled ground, blood spraying from his elbow as he began to violently shake and continued his panicked bawling. Jesse grasped the front of the boy’s shirt as he dragged him away from the cage, ignoring the stiff and screaming pain in his chest and back; handlers began to crowd around the boy to get a glimpse of his wound and to judge if he was even still alive. “Give him some space and get the fucking medics!” McCree’s booming voice commanded, causing everyone in the room to jump. He held up the stump to keep the blood from flowing too much; just looking at the mangled wound made his own prosthetic ache all over, and as he did all he could to keep Jamie alive, he couldn’t help but dare to look back at the caged dragon.

Vomit nearly climbed up his throat; the beast stood panting and staring him down, still holding the mangled arm in his bared jaws. For a second, Jesse had to take back what he said about the dragon being intelligent and deserving freedom. From what he saw, his younger boss was right; this thing wasn’t a sentient being...it was a _monster_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, for anyone interested, this story is based off [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnlFTF56P0k)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jesse has a talk with Gabe and finally confronts the monster in the basement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thanks for the feedback on Chapter One, I'm so glad you guys are liking this story!)

Jesse took another much-needed, long swig of his beer--his fourth one in less than two hours, actually--as he lazily stirred the macaroni noodles boiling over his stove. He had retired to his flat as soon as the medics had taken Jamie into their care, immediately stopping the blood flow coming from his arm as they began to repair the damaged limb. Still, even in these later evening hours, he could still hear the roar of the crowd in the lower, public areas of the arena; not a single audience member had any idea what had happened behind the corrals, behind the stables, all the way in the shipping house. They had no idea of the deadly dragon held within the walls of the structure, only several hundred feet away from the drunken, energy-riddled audience members.

He attempted to clear the thought from his mind as he wiped a thin layer of sweat from his brow; in a pair of low-hanging sweat pants, his chubby belly hung over the waistband, bouncing ever so slightly as he moved to turn up the television’s volume over the grating sound of the rattling ceiling fan. Moving towards the tiny, plastic box in the corner, he took a moment to glance out of his window at the southwestern desert before him. The sun had begun her descent, painting the sky in an explosion of purple and pink, with a hint of orange.

As glorious as his view was, Jesse’s flat wasn’t anything special; just like everyone else, the cowboy slept in a two-room addition to the roof of the wide butte where the arena was located. These tiny shacks where basically what the other cowhands and handlers called home. They lacked air conditioning and heating, but it was better than nothing; especially after a hard-day’s work, the best thing to come home to was a clean bed and a warm meal. For Jesse, living in only two rooms was simple and perfect; the first room served as a sitting room with his creaky mattress pushed against the opposite wall, and the second room was his kitchen with a decent view. He lived alone with no roommates or potential partners, but he was content with that; on rare nights, he would often invite some of the other cowhands to his room, where they would spend hours rolling around on the rusted mattress, panting, moaning, and making hot love until the sunlight peaked through the windows. None of them stayed for longer than the early morning hours, but Jesse didn’t care; the one-night stands were all that he needed in that department. As for his social life, all he really needed was the parental love and guidance of Gabriel. It was obvious that the cowboy’s living quarters were nothing compared to the more comfortable, higher-living than that of Jameson or some of the medics, but it was better than being homeless and alone in the Texan wilderness.

A knock on his door startled him as he was draining the noodles in the sink, focusing on staying away from the steam and trying to prevent hot water from splashing his bare skin. “Who is it?” He called, turning at an odd angle to get a better view of his front door.

“Gabby, here,” The familiar voice replied. “I’ve got an update on the boss, if you’re willing to listen.”

McCree set his dinner back onto the stovetop as he moved to open the door, letting the older man in. Gabe took the few steps to follow the younger man into the kitchen, taking the cold beer Jesse offered him. “Macaroni again?” He asked, grunting at the strain on his knees as he sat at the rickety card table, twisting the beer cap off with his bare hands.

The younger man shrugged. “Not in the mood for much else, and I don’t have any better options, anyways,” Jesse explained. “Plus, it’s an old comfort food of mine. Especially after the...fucking day I had, I’m gonna need about two more boxes before I’m finally comfortable.”

Gabe was silent for awhile, going back and forth from staring at the television, down to his beer, and up at the young man he considered his own son. He waited for Jesse to sit down across from him, reaching behind him to mute the news so they could talk. “Well, Jamie’s finally fucking stable. Went into shock a few times and lost an ungodly amount of blood, but the medbay team is sure he’ll be okay. Still, he definitely won’t be getting his arm back. That...dragon hasn’t eaten it or anything, just let it sit inside of it’s cage.” Gabe took a big sip of the beer, shivering at the intense flavor.

The kitchen was silent again as Jesse ate his meal, staring at his bowl instead of Gabriel. He stopped eating to pick at the noodles, shifting his jaw as he attempted to conjure up a response. The older cowhand interjected before he could say anything. “You don’t have to ride that dragon if you don’t want to, you know. Don’t even have to go near it-”

“I don’t want anyone to ride that thing, I want it sent back to where it came from,” McCree snapped. “At least away from here...we have no rhyme or reason to mess around with a fucking monster like that.”

Gabe went silent once more, allowing Jesse to vent, if he needed. He simply picked at the paper label wrapped around the glass bottle, watching the young cowboy. “You feel sympathy for it, don’t you?” He asked.

McCree stopped playing with his food, looking up and across the table at Gabriel. He was about to snap again, but held himself back this time. “At this point, I honestly don’t know. There’s a part of me that does, but there’s also a part of me that wants nothing to do with it. You know I can’t stand Jameson, but I don’t wanna be around something that can snap and hurt people like that.”

Gabe grunted in agreement, finishing the last of his beer as Jesse finished the rest of his mac. The room was silent as the older rider watched the usual reports on the news: another Omnic uprising in some major city in some part of the world, extreme economic fluctuations, and constant threats of world war were the only things broadcasted in this day and age. To think that they were out hiding in the desert, taming and riding broncos, bulls, machines, and now, goddamned dragons, all while the world around them was practically falling apart, was surreal. It was something that the older man thought about nearly every day he spent at Red Sun.

“I’ll still ride that...thing, though,” Jesse broke the silence after moving the short distance towards the sink to clean out his bowl. He hunched his shoulders, the dark bruise at the center of his back seeming to shift colors with his subtle movements. “But after that’s over...I’m done, Gabriel. I’m done riding, I’m done working for this place; at least saying that I sat on the back of a dragon is enough for me.”

“What do you mean you’re ‘done’?” Gabe asked, getting up slowly to set his empty beer next to the sink. “You can’t just up and leave.”

“Well that’s exactly what I plan on doing,” Jesse laughed, looking at Reyes out of the corner of his eye. “Let’s just...get the fuck away from this place. Come on, me and you. Pack up what we can and just….fucking run somewhere. We should’ve left a long time ago…”

The mentor couldn’t believe what he was hearing, especially from someone as determined and headstrong as Jesse McCree, of all people. “You’ve gotta be shitting me,” He commented, incredulous at the cowboy’s sudden behavior. “Where in the hell do you think we’d go? Civilization is practically dead, and there’s no way any protected city is gonna let folks like us in, especially with our records. Not to mention, if the Junker Queen finds out we’ve broken our contracts with no valid reason, our bodies will find a home six feet underneath hot, dry dirt.”

McCree said nothing, realizing that Gabe was right; there really was no place for him to go, was there? Part of him wanted to be hopeful, that maybe he could find the time and energy to put something like an abandoned farm back together, or gain passage into a large, untouched city like Los Angeles...but another, more pessimistic part of him could only imagine himself and Gabriel either dying out in the harsh environment, or working their asses off until the day they met their maker. All of these thoughts, added with his near-death experience in the arena, and having to save Jamison from the mauling jaws of a dragon, suddenly built up in the heaviest weight on his heart; he felt his barriers giving way as his throat swelled and his eyes burned with exhausted tears.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Gabriel whispered as he watched Jesse hold back the sounds of a tired cry, his massive form attempting to hide his soft interior. The trick-rider carefully rubbed Jesse’s shoulders, hoping to give some form of condolence. “Don’t cry, Jesse....I want out of here as much as you do.” The younger man still didn’t meet his eyes; everyone saw McCree as empowering and brave, able to give commands without even speaking. Not everyone saw the broken boy he was, struggling with horrific memories of the past covered up by his warm and charming personality. “Plus, you’ve seen too much today...if you want me to leave you alone, say the word and I’ll be gone.”

McCree nodded, taking in a loud sniff to clear his nose, standing up to his full height to pull Gabriel into a solid hug. The older man reached up, placing a solid kiss atop his dark, earthy-brown locks. “Just be ready for some stable work tomorrow,” He added. “Remember your pills and just try to get some good, solid rest, okay?”

Jesse pulled away, nodding quietly as he stared at Gabe’s worn boots, turning his head to smile at his mentor. “Will do, boss.”

\---

_My name is Hanzo_.

Jesse’s eyes shot open, skin suddenly cold at the scare of the strange voice, his trusty pistol aimed at the humid darkness before him. “Who said that?” He panted, his voice groggy and his dry mouth still tasting of cheap beer. “Who’s in here? Show yourself, damnit!”

A hearty chuckle filled his head. _Silly little cowboy. I’m still in the cage, where you left me...well, a new one, at least. Still isn’t very comfortable, might I add_.  
Great. The dragon was also telepathic, apparently, and was talking to him when all he wanted to do was be left alone. “For fuck’s sake, what do you want?” He asked out loud, dragging his hands down his face. “I’ve already had enough of you and I’ve only met you once.”

_Yet, you’ve been thinking of me since you first laid eyes on me, earlier today_. McCree could hear a hint of playfulness in the beast’s voice; this had to be some sort of trick.

He laughed, mostly out of annoyance, but also at the fact that what this...Hanzo was saying was very much true. “Maybe I have been. Then again, it’s not everyday that I get to see a damned dragon,” Jesse replied as he put Peacekeeper away, leaning back in his bed with his arms stretched above him. “It’s also unusual for me to witness one viciously attacking my boss without being provoked. I hope you know that you almost killed that boy.”

_Well, that ‘boy’ has me chained up like a circus animal, in a cage where I barely have the room to avoid stepping in my own waste_ , Hanzo retorted. _Plus, he wanted to breed me like a dog and sell my pups to strangers, along with renting me like some filthy harlot and tossing me into that arena with riders like you. I’d say it’s a fairly even trade_.

Jesse was quiet for a bit. As much as he hated to admit it, Hanzo had a point; he had been egged on with threatening words, but taking Jamison’s right forearm completely off might have been pushing things a bit too far. Still, he was still more than wary of the beast, not even close to trusting or fully listening to it, no less. _You hate it here, don’t you, Jesse?_

“Oh, so you like to listen in on the private conversations of others as well, don’t you?” McCree humored. He took a deep breath, groaning as the digital clock on the wall told him that it was almost three in the morning. “But if I’m gonna be honest, yes, I do hate this place. When I was younger, riding under the spotlight and learning how to care for animals filled a part of me that had been missing for seventeen years of my life. Now, as I get older...my morals are changing and I’m seeing less fun and more danger. I don’t enjoy it anymore.”

_I’m sure you’ll be glad to know that you’re not the only one_ , The dragon commented. _The one called Gabriel wants to leave and wants only the best for you, but he’s stuck here as well. And the one you call...Olly? Yes, that’s her name. She cries at night...every night, actually_.

“What do you mean by ‘cry’? She’s just a robot, she can’t show emotions like that,” Jesse argued, a strand of guilt suddenly grasping his heart. “Besides, the Junker’s re-programmed her to behave like a bull. She shouldn’t remember anything from her old life. She’s just a machine, after all.”

_And I’m just a dragon_ , Hanzo added. _I may appear to be like a wild animal or a mythical beast, but on the inside I possess intellect and a strong will; she may only be a corrupt Omnic, but she still has her own thoughts and intentions within her metallic frame. In her mind’s eye she knows that this isn’t her purpose; she knows that she’s meant to help and serve the general public, not be treated like some rodeo animal. Yet...your fellow cowhands took her arms and covered her face with the skull of a cow, treating her like a-_

“That’s enough!” Jesse snapped, holding his pillow around his ears, hoping it would drown out Hanzo’s voice. “I don’t want to talk to you if you’re gonna be riddling me with guilt and playing these damn games.”

_I’m not playing games with you, Jesse_ , The dragon expressed. _I’m only telling you the bare truth and hoping to open your eyes to what’s going on around you. All I’m asking is for you to get me out of here, and I can help you escape in return_.

For awhile, McCree said nothing to the dragon, trying to gather his sleep-riddled thoughts. For the dragon to be taunting him only to present him with the opportunity of a lifetime was really something else; however, it was hard for him to process anything that was going on as he lay naked in the dark heat of his messy bedroom. “Listen, I can’t stand anymore of this mind-talk. I’m coming down to the stables.” Annoyed, but somewhat intrigued, he grabbed a random pair of jeans and a wrinkled flannel shirt from the floor.

_Suit yourself_ , Hanzo commented, a hint of personal victory in his voice. _Oh, and if you wouldn’t mind: could you perhaps, bring me some hot water and a rag, please?_

“What for?” He sighed, sitting on the bed as he struggled to pull his boots up over his sweaty legs.

The dragon chuckled. _If it’s not too much information, let’s just say I haven’t properly bathed in nearly a month, now. I wouldn’t want to strike a deal with someone like you in the current state I’m in._

\---

It was the dead of night as Jesse made his descent down the metal stairs that were wrapped around the sheer cliff edges of the butte, making his way through the narrow hallways above the main bleachers, and down another rickety flight of rusted-out stairs towards the back of the stables where Hanzo was being kept.

After his horrific incident with Jamie, he had been moved to an in-wall cave on the far end of the stables. It was still technically a cage; the dug-out section itself only went about ten feet back, and dense metal bars covered from the floor to the ceiling with only a tiny square sectioned off as a separate door. If he wanted to be let out in his full dragon form, it would have to be activated with a code on the computer next to the smaller door; and, as fate would have it, only Jamison knew the secret password. Still, it was just the tiniest bit larger than his transport cage, and he was even given a small bit of straw to build a makeshift nest.

As McCree made his way towards the awaiting dragon, several of the horses snorted at him as he passed their smaller living quarters, their soft whinnies almost serving as a warning to stay away from the dragon; nonetheless, he ignored their sounds and focused on not sloshing the bucket of water in his robotic hand. Still, he made it to the end of the hall, setting the bucket down in front of the cage. At the sound of hefty metal hitting concrete, the dragon’s ears perked up. As the creature slowly unfurled himself from the nest, he immediately shifted into his humanoid form, approaching the cowboy with caution.

“Before I give you the water, I have a request,” Jesse demanded, holding his chin high as he crossed his arms over his barreled chest. “I’m gonna need you to tell me everything about yourself. Lucky for you, there ain’t a single security camera down here, or even a recorder, so we have all the time in the world to chit-chat.”

Hanzo smirked, leaning against the bars as he casually let his forearms hang through, intertwining his large fingers as he rested his chin on the closest bar he could reach. “How about this: you ask a question, and then I ask a question. That way, we can both see if this deal will truly be worth it.”

Jesse shrugged, widening his stance and pushing his belly out. “Works for me, if that’s what you want. So, first off: what’s your full, real name?”

“Hanzo Shimada,” The shorter man replied, lifting his chin off of the bar in order to speak more clearly. “And yours?”

“Jesse McCree,” The cowboy responded, attempting to search Hanzo’s dark eyes. “Now, are you really a dragon? Or some sort of...magical wizard who has the ability to shift into one?”

Hanzo laughed, his voice hearty and rough, causing something in Jesse’s heart to jump. “No, I’m simply a dragon. We do have ways to shift bodies, but it’s better left kept a secret from someone that I just met, if you understand where I’m coming from. Now, in that case...are you actually a cowboy?”

It was Jesse’s turn to chuckle, casually biting his lip as he planting his hands on his waist, showing the ridiculous belt buckle below his stomach that read the acronym BAMF. “Depends on what your definition of a cowboy is, sugar. Though, I do work with livestock and perform in a rodeo, so I guess you could call me that.” Dammit. Now, things were starting to turn too friendly for his tastes...maybe even a bit personal. Still, McCree was hoping to use his warm charm to see through Hanzo’s mysterious intentions. “Now, my last question for the day: how in the hell did Deadlock manage to get their hands on you and the other dragon?”

Hanzo’s face went dark for a second, suddenly being reminded of what had happened to him on his journey to the American west. He looked down at the dirt floor of his enclosure, scratching deep lines in the ground with the claw of his bird-like foot. “Let’s just say some...family matters caused my younger brother, Genji, to run away from home and travel to America for….one reason or another. He didn’t leave a note or a hint as to why he came out here, but even if he was just wanting to get away, it’s worried my mother to death and as his older brother and the heir to my father’s throne, I saw it as my duty to bring him back to Japan. As you can tell, things didn’t go as planned; Genji managed to lose his way in the vast desert, and Deadlock just so happened to find him and take him in. They obviously used us for their own benefit instead of helping us out and treating us as guests.”

Hanzo went quiet after that, not bothering to send another question Jesse’s way; it was a good start, and the cowboy felt it was enough prying for the both of them. Plus, they were wasting precious seconds; they were going to need to formulate a plan before Hanzo was revealed to the audience. McCree cleared his throat, slowly bending down to grab the bucket and pass it to Hanzo through the bars; he accepted the hot water graciously, taking the rag as he began to slowly scrub and massage every inch of his body.

Even for a smaller man, Hanzo was huge; muscle were wound tightly around every bone, and a slight layer of soft fat hung from his hips and stomach. Even his legs, covered in glittering scales and a light dusting of fur around the ankles, were powerful, supporting the man on curved, bird-like claws. Every part of him was almost impossibly beautiful, but very much still deadly. Jesse’s couldn’t help take a deep breath and blush as Hanzo took the remaining water from the bucket and poured it over his body, arms and back flexing as the water cascaded in between the crevices of his aching muscles. “Now, we just need a plan,” Jesse interjected, clearing his throat as Hanzo wrung the water from his hair.

“That we do need,” The dragon agreed, handing him the now-empty bucket as Jesse attempted to hide his blush. “Before we go any further, however, I need you to do something for me.”

Jesse nodded, locking eyes with the other man. “I’m listening.” He set the bucket down, daring to take a step closer to give Hanzo his full attention.

“When Deadlock first took me, they also took my things; I had a duffle bag full of clothes, weapons, some food, the usual survival necessities,” Hanzo explained. “However, they also took my pearl and my prosthetic legs. I’m certain they shoved it in a trunk and attached it to my transport cage before I left, I’m just not sure where the chest itself went.”

Hanzo may not have known what happened to his things, but Jesse sure did; a secondary room attached to Jamison’s office was filled with treasures and junk of all types. Thinking back to when he first visited him the day before, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar; it was another section up the upper levels guarded by a password, but if it was still open, there was a chance he could sneak in. “If you’re willing to trust me with your things, I’m willing to find a good hiding place to keep them once we actually escape?”

Hanzo contemplated the idea, moving to lean up against the cage with his arms hanging out once more. “I can trust that. Besides, I’m not sure where I’m going to hide it in this cave.”

McCree smiled, hoping to give kind vibes towards the other man. “Well, since that’s a good start to this plan, I think I have an idea of how we can get out of here...it may involve causing quite a scene, though.”

“I’m fine with anything, as long as we both make it out alive,” Hanzo added, searching the taller man’s eyes. “What are our options?”

“At this point, we really only have one,” McCree mumbled. “Going through any of the main doors on the ground level would be too risky and predictable, and the security around any of the gates would stop us before we even reached fresh air.” He explained, scratching his messy beard. “There’s a massive glass window above the main arena, however; it’s filthy and ancient, and hasn’t been given a proper inspection since before Gabriel brought me here. There’s a chance the whole frame could fall apart if I can get one lucky shot.”

“I’m guessing that implies that you’re a professional sharpshooter, as well?” Hanzo commented, a smirk pulling at the edge of his mouth.

“That’s what I’ve been told from several credible sources,” Jesse replied, unable to hold back his own grin. “So, with my impressive skills, we can get the window out of the way, and….fly our way to freedom. Or jump, whichever is easier for you.”

Hanzo reached forward to take Jesse’s mechanical hand in his own. The cowboy nearly jumped out of his skin, suddenly remembering what happened to Jamie when he got this close to the cage; still, Hanzo’s touch was gentle and inviting, firm in a comforting way. A stark contrast to his crushing, possibly-venomous jaws. “So, it’s settled: we’ll both break one another out of here, and try to get to the West coast without burning up in the desert. Or dying at the hands of the Deadlock gang.” Hanzo declared.

McCree nodded, grinning at the dragon as he kept a tight grip on his hand. “Still,” Hanzo added, his voice lowering, stopping the cowboy before he could say anything more. “What are _you_ getting out of this, Jesse McCree?”

In all honestly, Jesse didn’t really know; it was obvious that having Hanzo at his side would provide both protection and a quick escape, and he was willing to provide the same to the dragon. Other than that...what was he doing? Doing this would piss off the Junker Queen, and put Gabriel in danger simply by association. Even worse, running away with this dragon would force Jesse to leave behind the one man who ever showed him real, parental love, aside from his late-mother; maybe there was a chance he could come back for the veteran rider. The cowboy cleared his thoughts, finally responding to Hanzo’s question. “I guess I have a few, but I can’t pinpoint a specific one. Revenge against my old boss and everyone else in this place? A chance to see the world? Maybe a reason to just...get the fuck away, to live out the rest of my days as I see fit?” He locked eyes with the dragon, lowering his voice to a comforting rumble. “Maybe it’s because I know that humans don’t belong fooling around with dragons. Especially if it involves using someone like you for a multitude of awful things.”

The dragon only pursed his lips, patting the top of Jesse’s hand in a silent thank you before he finally pulled away. “You have a good night, Jesse McCree.”

The cowboy tipped his hat. “To you as well, Hanzo Shimada. I have some work to do in the morning, but tomorrow night, I’ll return to bring you your things.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jesse gets caught dealing with dragons.

_The hungry coyote sniffed at the waterless land around him, desperate to find some sort of nutrient in the unforgivable land. His tiny, stout paws danced as he trotted along the ridge of a low hill, curving in between jagged rocks, dry brush, and cacti that towered over his loping form._

_Suddenly, a shrill tweeting from the very top of the hill caught his attention. Underneath the blood and gold sunset, atop the branch of a dead tree, was a single sparrow, flapping its pointed wings as it preened it’s feathers and watched the wild dog with it’s beady eyes. Its shining coat was silver and blue, the aura around its soul bleeding wisps of purple into the sky surrounding it._

_As hungry as the coyote was, he saw no reason in attempting to hunt the bird; instead, he watched it observe its own surroundings. Time seemed to stop as the two finally made eye-contact; the bird twitched its head, almost beckoning for the coyote to come closer._

_The dog dared to do so, intrigued by this miniscule creature. He stopped as it leapt from the branch, fluttering further away onto the arm of a cactus; the bird wanted him to follow, it seemed. The coyote did so, increasing his pace as the bird flew farther and farther away from him; it seemed that they were heading into the distant sunset, seeming to chase the sun to...wherever. He followed without question. Something about this bird was calling to him; he didn’t appear to be racing with the smaller critter. Rather, he felt as if they were taking part in a journey together, heading towards the West in a way he had never understood before_.

Jesse awoke from his dream with a bit of a start; not nearly as intense as when Hanzo first spoke to him in the early hours of the morning, startling him awake enough to go in defensive mode.

For the most part, dreams like that never really bothered him. Unless they were a crippling nightmare that would plague him for days on end, he wasn’t one to remember any other visions he took part in during the darkest hours of the night. Still, something about the imagery of the sparrow and the coyote stuck with him a bit; combined with the color of the skies around the creatures, and the vast desert settings, a part of him stated that it had to have been related with him and Hanzo’s deal.

Don’t think too deep into it, Jesse, He mentally reminded himself, growing fully awake once he heard the ringtone on his phone blaring. The cowboy groggily rolled around, lazily reaching towards the floor where the device was being charged. His eyes squinted and burned slightly at the brightened screen, even with the dark background photo of Gabe’s precious spotted Friesian, Queenie. Layered atop the horse’s stretched lips was a single text from his mentor: _Rise and shine, cowboy! The more you sleep in, the more shit you’ll have to shovel lmao_.

_Shit!_ Jesse looked above the photo of the neighing horse to see that it was nearly nine in the morning; he was at least two hours late for the daily chores Gabriel asked him to do.

He groaned and grunting as he forced himself to at least sit up, carefully stretching his still-bruised back, and taking note of pains that definitely weren’t there before. Thanks to his own gullibility, he would have to deal with the day with no morning coffee, no shower, and with the lack of energy that came from less than five hours of sleep. At this point, Jesse would’ve blamed Hanzo for waking him up at such an unreasonable hour; in reality, the cowman knew it was all on himself.

\---

“Aaahhh, sleeping beauty’s finally left her ivory tower!” Gabe announced, waiting patiently outside of Queenie’s stable. His voice lowered to a normal tone after the other few handlers finished their chuckling, and Jesse looked at the ground with hot embarrassment burning his cheeks. “Not only are you late, but a little birdie told me that you were up at the wee hours of the morning talking to Dragon Tails, over there.”

McCree didn’t need to look behind him in the direction where the older rider was nodding to; he could already imagine the dragon pacing steadily at the bars of his cage, watching both of the cowboys intently with those sharp, golden irises. He felt like a child being scolded for digging around in the cookie jar when Mom said no; except this time, both he and Hanzo were digging into a jar filled with unclear trust, and a great deal of trouble from anyone outside of their agreement. He couldn’t think of a response, even when the trick-rider lowered his head to get a better look at Jesse’s eyes, hidden underneath the wide brim of his Stenson.

“...you’re not gonna say anything?” Gabe whispered, ignoring Queenie as she attempted to playfully nibble on his hand.

Jesse let out a short chuckle, raising his chin to meet Gabe’s eyes. “There’s not much I can say; no excuse at all, to be quite honest with you.”

Gabe scrunched his eyebrows up just a little bit, attempting to get a more detailed answer out of the younger man. “Then why did you wake up that late just to go and talk to it? First of all: I had no idea it could even speak any sort of human language, and second of all: what the hell would it want specifically from you? Especially since you were one of the main witnesses to watch it take the boss’s arm off.”

McCree only shrugged, not able to think of anything to say without exposing the secret plan that he and Hanzo had devised; it just now took him to realize that this was one of the first times he had hidden anything from Gabriel. Not only that, but going through with this wild escape would force him to abandon his adopted father; the guilt of realization hit him as gentle as a speeding truck, and he attempted to hold his composure for as much as he could. “He just...woke me up, and wouldn’t leave me alone. He can also apparently read minds and speak telepathically; I wouldn’t say that I’m surprised, but I feel like he wouldn’t wake me up for no reason.”

“And you went through with it?” Gabe asked, skeptical at Jesse’s innocent intentions. “What if it was a trick?”

“That’s what I thought,” McCree argued, leaning up against the stable door, pulling a cigar from his pocket as suave as humanly possible; a faint sliver of his guilt was peeling away as he watched a prying cowhand blush and quickly turn away, hiding his interest in the older man. It wasn’t an appropriate thing to notice, especially during this serious conversation with Gabriel; still, playing it cool was one of his specialties, and doing so would only help disguise his plan. “However, I got a few bits and pieces of information from our new guest. Not sure if we could use it to our advantage, but it’s vital information, nonetheless.”

Gabe pursed his lips, crossing his arms as he studied the younger cowboy. He took a deep breath, running a hand down his face. “Just...tell me later, okay? All I need you to do is shovel out all the stables and replace the hay, and then you can meet me in the mess hall; if you buy me lunch, I’ll try and forget the fact that you came down here to talk to a….a fucking dragon.” He laughed at that last bit, patting a solid hand on Jesse’s shoulder before walking away. “All this stress is gonna be the death of me.”

\---

Later that night, after his work was done and he relayed everything he knew back to Gabe, Jesse carefully made his way back down into the stables, more aware of his surroundings, this time; rumor had it that a sleepless cowhand had seen Jesse moving down to the stables, heading for the dragon’s cage. Luckily, for the most part, none of the other handlers really cared: still, Gabe had continously warned him about what he was getting into. His actions would definitely affect the trust of the other cowhands, and maybe even changed the way they saw the sharpshooter. Jesse tried to brush it off, reminding himself that peopled talked to their animals all the time...but then again, Hanzo was a sentient being with a handful of intentions. He wasn’t just a stallion who would whine and stretch out his lips if you teased him with the idea of a treat.

His still-loud, yet cautious steps alerted Hanzo, who stopped grooming himself to turn around, snorting at Jesse. “You’ve returned. I didn’t even have to call to you, this time.” He spoke out loud in his dragon form, his lips moving and curving in a way that Jesse didn’t think was possible.

The cowboy shrugged, standing in front of the cage as the dragon settled down into a loaf-like position, curling his massive paws underneath his chest. “Figured we should get to work on this right away. Gabe wants us for a...test run, tomorrow.”

Hanzo didn’t need to ask anymore questions; he knew enough about riding horses to know what that meant, and the tone of Jesse’s voice told him that tomorrow would be their big breakout. He raised his head, letting his tail twitch up and down as he began to contemplate the next step in their plan. “So….have you gotten a chance to grab my things?” He could help but ask, cocking his head to the side.

“Not yet.” Jesse replied, shaking a finger in the beast’s direction. “However, I stopped by Jamison’s office on the way down here. The door to his storage room is still open, and I just so happened to see a chest in the corner; it had Deadlock’s insignia on top, so I had to reckon that it was yours. However, there were too many people about for me to get away with it. Plus, the boss is getting out of the medic bay tomorrow morning; I didn’t want to run into someone going in his office to grab something for him.”

Hanzo nodded and suddenly smiled, baring all of his teeth--which were surrounded by teal-blue gums, Jesse noted--as he stood to his full height, stretching every one of his limbs and claws as he continued his usual, thoughtful pacing. “Now, I need to explain something to you before we begin. When I was born, I was lucky to blessed with the soul of a second dragon,” He explained, catching a glimpse of McCree’s face every time he passed by the cowboy. “I can use the other one as a...double, if you will, in exchange for some of my energy.”

Jesse nodded, attempting to process Hanzo’s explanation; he had no idea what the dragon was planning, and a part of him was whispering that this was the trap that Gabriel had warned him about. “It doesn’t hurt you or anything?” He couldn’t help but ask. “Just...takes away some of your energy?”

Hanzo shook his head, opening his jaw to pant as the second dragon made itself known, deep within his core; already, his legs began to anxiously shake, the fur atop his back shivering and raising on end. “It’s similar to an out-of-body experience, with the only side-effect being exhaustion. Besides, I used to use it all the time when I was a child; especially when it came to bathtime.” The dragon chuckled to himself. “Eventually the servants stopped chasing the spirit, and instead searched the castle to find me asleep in a storage closet.”

McCree giggled along with him, realizing that the dragon did have some charm to him. He stopped his laughter and instead observed Hanzo with awe; the dragon suddenly stood completely still, squinting his eyes as he reached his left paw forward. To Jesse’s amazement, a twisting light began to unravel from his limb, in the exact location where his tattoo was. The monstrous serpent slid easily through the bars of the cage, growing in size as it manifested into an exact carbon copy of Hanzo.

Jesse took a few steps back from the dragon spirit, glancing at the real dragon in the cage; Hanzo slunk back against the cave wall, hunkering down as he focused his energy on the beast he had set free. “Go! Now!” He barked, seemingly both at Jesse and at the being of light before him.

As soon as the spirit lumbered past him, Jesse made a break for the staircase, pulling the alarm in the hallway as he made his way up to Jamie’s office, past some of the inner living quarters of some of the more experienced cowboys. A second horn screamed to life as the dragon’s paws activated the weighted alarm in the stables; immediately, horses began to screech and winnie, accompanied by the howls and kicks of bulls and other beasts.

He nearly stopped dead, however, when he noticed the tell-tale sound of a larger corral opening slowly, followed by frantic, metal hooves clopping on the ground. He didn’t need to peek back to know that Hanzo had also released Olly; whether or not she knew enough outside of her program to run for the hills and don’t look back, McCree wasn’t sure. He wasn’t one to wait around and find out, though.

Jesse reached the upper hallway and was about to slink around the corner when he crashed directly into Gabriel. “Jesus Christ, kid!” He exclaimed, loosening his grip on the red lasso in his hands. “What’re you doing up at this hour?!”

“I heard the alarm go off,” He answered immediately, keeping his nerve-wracked voice steady. “I was gonna find you...I think the dragon’s out, along with Olly.”

“Sonofabitch,” Gabe grumbled, rubbing his face and brushing past Jesse. “Just...go and get everyone else you can. Don’t think that damn alarm is loud enough.”

Jesse nodded, jogging past Gabriel as the older man made his way into the stables, pulling out a stun-gun just in case he came face-to-face with Olly or the dragon. While the older rider made his way into the lower levels, McCree took the easy way out and simply yanked on the fire alarm, hoping that the sound would reach the shacks and get more hands out of bed. For now, he wouldn’t be one to run down and help; he continued on his path towards Jamie’s office.

\---

Before pushing the sheet out of the way, McCree looked back and forth down the hall, the fire alarms still blaring as he made sure that he was all alone in Jamison’s office. No one was following him; that was apparently evident from the sound of a scuffle down below. He just hoped no one was actually getting hurt...or killed.

Just as it was two days ago, Jamison’s office was an absolute mess; the same papers, logbooks, and random pieces of junk sat haphazardly on every available surface. Now that he was alone in the humid space, he was able to see even more of the mess left behind by the younger man; food wrappers, trash bins that hadn’t been emptied in weeks, accompanied the smell of dust, along with a heavy layer of B.O.. Ignoring the mess, McCree turned his attention towards his real target; against the back wall, the door to the storage closet was still open.

The cowboy stuck his head in, flicking on the overhead light that revealed a handful of treasures--and even more metal scraps and various junk than in the actual office--and Hanzo’s trunk in the far back, Deadlock’s symbol planted directly on the lid. “Bingo,” McCree spoke to himself, slowly dropping onto one knee to pry open the box.  
The cowboy lifted it open, revealing everything that Hanzo had asked for; there was a duffel bag filled with a handful of darker-colored clothes, a set of intricately-crafted, metal legs wrapped snugly together with two leather belts, and a massive bow. He couldn’t help but stop and admire the weapon for a few seconds before getting back to work; these were of a higher technology that Jesse had never seen, until now. He took the legs and carefully shoved them into the bag, adding the arrow-filled quiver as he slung the bow over his shoulder.

With the alarms still screaming their harsh warning, Jesse stood up carefully, kicking the chest close as he walked out of the boss’s office. He made sure to turn the lights off before he left, making sure that everything was in it’s place before leaving to run back into the hallway.

\---

The desert air grew almost painfully-cold as the moon made her presence known, moving across the sky to make way for the soon-to-be-rising-sun. The gentle blue light from the satellite cooled the desert sand, making it somewhat easier for the dragon to gallop across the earth. Even still, with the lack of burning sunlight, Hanzo was still panting and grunting, using the last of his energy as he guided the Omnic to freedom. His massive paws slammed on the dry earth as he struggled to keep a decent pace; he hadn’t run on all fours like this in quite a long time, and doing so drained his energy even more, especially outside of his physical body.

Hanzo glanced behind him to see that Olly had shaken off her cow mask and was finally able to face the open world and a burst of fresh air for more than several years. Even without her arms, she had managed to pick up a burst of speed, joining Hanzo as she galloped alongside his flank. “Thank you for freeing me,” She said, bowing her head in the dragon’s direction.

Hanzo snorted. “No need to thank me. The pleasure is all mine.” The beast nodded, watching the OR-15 veer off course, taking a deep left as she headed towards the foothills in the distance. Hanzo looked behind him to see a handful of cowboys atop the backs of horses making their way towards him; his body began to shut down with exhaustion, and he took the group of cowboys as a signal to return back to his physical form.

\---

Jesse stood at the staircase near the top of the butte, watching in awe as the spirit form of Hanzo dissipated into glowing dust, rising into the sky to join the stars, drifting away from view. To the dragon’s left, Olly was galloping away at a breakneck pace, darting away from the group of confused cowboys and towards the foothills that lead towards the canyon; he was sure that the machine couldn’t see him from up at the height he was, but he tipped his hat towards her, nonetheless.

Readjusting the duffle bag on his shoulder, Jesse turned back towards the Red Sun’s massive billboard, climbing up towards the southwest-facing sign; behind it was a large cluster of loose boulders and stones that would serve as the perfect hiding place for Hanzo’s belongings. _I don’t know if you can hear me, Hanzo, but we’re gonna have to keep your things up here for now_ , Jesse mentally whispered, noting that the alarms in the lower levels had finally shut off.

_That will do, Jesse_ , Hanzo replied, his voice shaking and labored. _You should also head back down here soon. Your friends don’t seem too terribly happy about what just happened_.

\---

Jesse entered the stables once more as soon as the other patrol returned, noting the crowd of handlers--including Gabriel--all standing around Hanzo’s cage, argueing about how the last hour’s events transpired.

“I’m telling you, it was right in the cage all along,” One cowhand argued.

“Then what triggered the alarm? Olly’s never been smart enough to open her own stable, and it’s not sensitive enough to go off when a human steps on it.”

“Well, it must be this dragon thing that’s been fucking with our heads,” Gabe finally spoke up, rubbing his eyes. He looked at Jesse as the younger rider approached the group, panting and sweating from running down the outer stairs. “What the hell happened, McCree? You were the one who came up to me, you had to have seen it happen.”

The cowboy froze for a second; Gabriel had already known about him coming down to speak with the dragon, and at this point he was already guilty via association. Still, it wouldn't be smart for him to admit that to everyone else, so it seemed like lying about it would be his only way out. “I came down here for a smoke break and I saw both of them fucking...bolt past me. That’s all that I can-”

“Looks like all the money I’ve been paying you to work with these bloody animals is going to waste.”

Everyone spun around towards the source of the nasally, grumbling voice. They were all shocked to see Jamison shuffling his way into the room. He held the rounded stump of his left arm close to his chest, the oversized hoodie he was wearing slipping off of his bony shoulders as he moved closer to the group of cowhands. Jesse’s stomach turned as he noted the dark rings around Jamie’s wet, sky-blue eyes, and the slight pinch in his nose; he was still exhausted, and still in a great deal of pain. Just seeing the way he held his lithe frame reminded the older cowboy of how he looked and felt when Gabriel found him nearly twenty years ago.

Gabriel moved towards the boss, lowering his deeper voice as he attempted to gently touch Jamie’s shoulders. “Kid, go back to your room. You are not in the shape to be dealing with this right-”

He shoved the older man way, not sure who to be more angry with; the dragon for causing the sudden distraction, the cowhands to managed to lose his only OR-15 unit, or the trick-rider who was coddling him like a child. “Fuck off, ya old cunt!” He barked at Gabe, a bit of anger replacing the shock in Jesse’s belly at the harsh words towards his mentor. “I don’t care what the fuck happened or what anyone did or didn’t do! This...this is strike number two. The next...accident or prank or whatever-the-fuck this thing is capable of...I want it _dead_.”

Everyone was still very-much quiet, unsure of how to respond. Without warning, Jamison grabbed the now-empty bucket of water, awkwardly throwing it against the metal bars of the dragon’s cage with his one remaining arm. “YOU HEAR ME?!”

A murmur of “yes, sir” and a few nodding heads were the only response that Jamie received, and it was the only one he needed. “Good. In that case, I want everyone in the arena tomorrow morning, eight AM sharp. We’re gonna show this monster what we’re really made of.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hanzo and Jesse's adventure finally begins!

That next fateful morning, Jesse hurriedly shoved his own things into an old bag before he tightened his belt, adjusted his hat, and wrapped his serape around his broad shoulders, looking around at his near-bare apartment for one last time. He didn’t have much to bring with him; the majority of his bag was loaded with canned food and camping equipment, the few clothes he owned along with his gun-cleaning kit, and a few photos of his mother, Gabriel, and the various horses he had worked with and had built a personal bond with.

He had taken a moment to look at the few photos he had, sitting on his old bed as he looked through the images; his mother, who had him at a very young age, sitting on a lawn chair outside of his grandparent’s house. Then, him and Gabriel after their first riding session with their horses, both riders and animals sweaty with the effort of working together. And finally, his own precious mare, Sangria; a part of him had tried to forget about the youthful palomino, but he knew he never could. The bond between him and her was almost too strong to believe; they were like brother and sister, the best of friends, and could almost communicate without saying anything.

She had been a gift from a friend of Gabriel’s; a horse owner and breeder up far in the temperate forests of Washington. Ana Amari had heard news of Reye’s new apprentice, and all that the young boy had seen and been through. Not to mention, Gabriel had sent her videos of McCree’s first few sessions on Queenie’s saddle, and seeing him handle the pretentious and stubborn Friesian was impressive enough for her.

McCree almost couldn’t believe it when he first watched the young filly emerge from the trailer, too shocked to cry or speak as he touched her velvety nose for the very first time. He almost couldn’t hear Gabriel proudly announcing that the horse was for the young cowboy, too enamored in her light-gold coat and her piercing blue eyes. “You won’t be able to ride her for about another year,” Reyes explained, patting her shoulder as he looked down at Jesse. “But for now...she’s all yours, kid.”

And as soon as her fifth year of living came around, Jesse had gotten up at the crack of dawn to go and see her down in the stables, grabbing a red saddle blanket and a bridle with the intent on training her immediately, even if Gabe wasn’t around. Sangria was quick to learn, and in less than a month of training, Jesse was out in the surrounding deserts, traversing the dry brush with the skill of a veteran cowboy and his trusty steed.

Getting up to put the photographs in a secret compartment in his bag, Jesse made a silent reminder to himself to go back for Sangria after his journey with Hanzo; nearly twelve years after their first riding sessions together, the young horse had become terribly sick, constantly coughing and losing weight from a random case of strangles. They vaccinated her immediately, and Jesse spent nearly every night with her in her stable, making sure she was comfortable, and watching her for any warning signs of getting even worse; it was Gabe who recommended that she should be sent back up north to Ana’s ranch, and it was Jesse who reluctantly agreed. It would be a long time before he could see her again, and as heartbroken as he still was, Jesse was happy that she would be in an environment where she’d have plenty of fresh air, and more space to move around than in a cramped stable at the Red Sun Arena.

Plus, an updated message from Ana’s young daughter, Fareeha, had proved that Sangria was alive and healthy; she had gained most of her lost weight back, was free of her sickness, and was patiently waiting for Jesse to come and get her...yet, he never came.

As he left his apartment for the last time, the guilt of doing nothing to get back to his horse hit him full-on; he was possibly risking his life, his reputation, and his relationships with others by setting loose a dragon he had met barely three days ago. Maybe now would be his chance to go back for his four-legged sister; it would be far out of the way from their intended path, but Jesse was hoping that Hanzo would understand.

He cleared his mind and took a deep breath as he made his way out of the flat and towards the cluster of stones where Hanzo’s bag was hidden, looking down into the main road leading towards the arena as caravans and travellers from all over lined up outside of the main gate. It was only a practice day, but it was still a reason for customers to gather ‘round and watch the practice day, which usually served as a preview for the main show. After today, ticket prices would rise to the extremes, especially after the announcement of their newest addition to the cast. Still, Jesse also knew that there would be no main show...at least, not one starring himself and the dragon.

He moved underneath the shadow of the tallest stone, firmly placing their bags in between of two of the larger ones in the cluster. Jesse stood up, squinting underneath the harsh sunlight as he tried to make a connection with the dragon down below. _Hanzo? It’s me Jesse_ , He announced in his head, a form of communication that he was already growing familiar with. _I’m not sure if you’re awake yet, but we’ll need to grab these bags up here, after we escape from the main window_.

 _Yes, I can see what you’re talking about_ , The dragon replied.

Jesse stopped for a second, standing up straight as he tried to process what Hanzo was saying. _How can you see…are you using that mind-reading bullshit to see through my eyes or something?_

The dragon chuckled and sighed. _In a way, the mental connection allows me to see what you’re seeing, yes_ , He explained. _Though, it’ll take some time and effort for you to see through my eyes, if we choose to grow that close together. However, that’s not what we should be focusing on: since I’m seeing the world through your eyes, I need you to grab something from my bag, if you will._

Jesse lowered back down to his knees, holding the top of Hanzo’s duffle bag as he slid the zipper fully open. Hanzo gave Jesse the directions to what he was looking for, the cowman carefully moving clothes and supplies until he came to a small metal box, about the size of a baseball. _I got what you need. Now...what do you want me to do with it_? McCree asked, picking up the hefty container. As solid as the metal was, something about it’s contents felt lighter than air.

 _Open it, and keep it hidden_ , Hanzo instructed. _It’s my pearl. I won’t be able to fly a long distance without it, so I’ll need you to bring it to me. Keep it within your pocket, or at least a place where it’s out of view from anyone else. For now, keep it on your person. It’s presence alone will help me leap to the rooftop, but after that, I’ll need it in my own hands to take off._

As Hanzo explained, Jesse slowly opened the container, taking a peek inside before he opened the lid all the way. It was, in fact, similar to a smaller version of a baseball. Iridescent and surrounded by a soft, blue aura, it sat comfortably in a nest of velvet, shielded by the stiff metal of the actual box. The cowboy gently moved his hand over the orb, momentarily jerking his hand back from the intense energy coming from the pearl: it was vibrating and icy-hot to the touch. The amount of power was almost painful against his skin, and even in his robotic hand, Jesse struggled to keep his fingers wrapped around the stone.

The cowboy lit a pre-ride cigarillo as he shoved the pearl into a small pouch on his heavy belt, taking in several generous puffs as he made his way down the stairs and into the main stables. _Well, since I can’t see through your eyes, what’s going on right now? I’m assuming they should be getting everyone ready for the warm-up rounds_.

The only response Jesse received was an agitated, horse-like snort. _They’ve moved me back to my smaller cage, but they’ve also set up some sort of...tunnel for me to crawl through. It appears it leads to a smaller corral next to some taller, metal doors_.

 _That would be the ‘bullpen’_ , Jesse replied. _They’re gonna fit you with a saddle and some reigns, most likely. It’s not gonna be comfortable, but we’ll get them off of you as soon as we can find a good hiding spot, far away from this place._

Hanzo was quiet as he made his way through the tunnel, unresponsive towards the other man...until he began to growl and hiss in McCree’s head; he must’ve finally been moved towards the bullpen, wary of the cowhands tightening the saddle around his ribs, and infuriated at the bit pulling back at his teeth and lips. _You must also understand, Jesse McCree, that I will not go easy on you._

The cowboy stomped out his smoke on the damp concrete, taking on a steadfast pace as he entered the bustling stables; he ignored anyone who attempted to make direct contact with him, making his way towards the bullpen surrounded by smaller corrals and the main doors. _I’m honesty not expecting you to, Hanzo Shimada_ , he replied. _We just need to remind ourselves that things will be...different for us, once we exit those windows_.

_And what exactly do you mean by that, cowboy?_

Jesse didn’t have time to reply before he caught sight of the dragon himself: Hanzo’s longer form was cramped in the bullpen, adorned in the rodeo’s best bridle and saddle. He simply bowed his head towards Hanzo, blinking in a greeting as the dragon’s eyes met his.

“He’s ready to go when you are,” A familiar and comforting voice called behind him. Jesse turned to see Gabe with a determined, but prideful grin on his weathered and scarred face. “You know, I never thought I’d see the day where one of my close apprentices is given the chance to ride a fucking dragon. I was definitely concerned when I watched him rip Jameson apart, but I know you’ll be able to handle yourself...and the beast.”

Jesse lowered his head, hiding his embarrassed smile as Gabriel pulled him into a solid, jolting hug. “You know I’ve got this; I handled Queenie for an hour or two, and that was my very first time on the saddle.”

Gabe nodded, pulling back to get a good look at the younger cowboy. “Still, keep a clear head, and do your damned best out there,” the rider added, leading him towards the tall bars of the pen as the sparse audience began their usual chanting. “I’ll be watching from the Nest if anything happens.” He nodded up towards the balcony above the bullpen doors, the only view towards the arena from there being a tall, barred window.

“Will do, pops,” Jesse added, tipping his rugged hat as he climbed the metal railing. Still, as Gabe walked away and he leaned his weight over the topmost railing, directly above Hanzo, he felt the weight of raw guilt in his gut once more. This was the last time to feel remorseful...but this was also possibly the last time he would see Gabriel ever again. The man was the father figure he never had; even his grandfather from his mother’s side had never really been this close. The stunt he was about to pull was all for his own resort, and to help a dragon he barely knew; there was doubt, but there was also something telling him that he needed to do this.

Still, he cleared his mind, focusing on moving his leg to take a stance on the other side of the pen. He filled his lungs with a deep breath, before finally hovering down to take a seat on the saddle of the dragon.

\---

It was definitely a feeling he had never experienced before; no bronco, mare, bull, or even Omnic, had ever prepared him for this; the raw power that emanated from Hanzo wasn’t earthly. It was supernatural, and it was _furious._ The dragon was definitely stronger than anything Jesse had experienced, but his strength seemed to be more flexible than anything. His long body seemed to wiggle in all directions, attempting to adjust with Jesse’s massive weight atop his back. It was like trying to sit on a solid, massive feline.

The weight of the rider and the sensation of his pearl energized Hanzo, increasing his drive to sprint and leap: his muscles quivered and the tangled coat going down his mane stood on end. For a second, he nearly forgot about Jesse on the saddle; whether the man was actually there or not, Hanzo was going to run as fast as possible, leap high into the heavens, and fly all the way back to Japan in one go.  
Hanzo let out a deep, rumbling howl as he slammed his paws into the soft dirt below him, digging his claws into the earth as he flexed the digits, craving the sensation of open freedom. He hadn’t been in touch with his pearl in over a month, and even being close to it filled him with a sensation that was similar to nicotine, adrenaline, and any other chemical--natural or manmade--that would shoot his energy through the roof. Jesse’s heart began to pound in response to the dragon’s agitation and sudden adrenaline burst -- a wave of several emotions coursed through his mind, and he gently reached a hand forward, daring to pat and scratch at Hanzo’s left shoulder. _We can do this, Hanzo. Focus on me, focus on where you’re going to go after the eight seconds is over...don’t forget the window for God’s sake don’t forget the fucking window_ …

The dragon violently nodded, his pupil’s blown black as Jesse tightened his grip on the reigns: both the dragon and the cowboy’s body shivered in anticipation as the timer above the metal door counted down: _..three...two...one..._

Time didn’t exist in that final second: there was no sound, no movement, no sensation of any type until Hanzo bolted out of the pen and into the arena at a painful speed. Jesse felt a bit of vomit threaten to climb up his throat from the initial shock and anxiety as the dragon broke out into a lion-like run, rolling his spine and twisting his body in a pattern that Jesse could barely keep up with.

The few people who were still in the crowd went absolutely buckwild, both at their favorite rodeo rider, Jesse McCree, and at the fact that he was riding on something that definitely wasn’t a horse or a bull. Most of these people didn’t have access to a public zoo or television that broadcasted anything that wasn’t some sort of livestock. A real dragon was enough for them to come back and spend extra, big bucks on tickets for the main show, especially now that Old Olly was gone. This dragon alone would turn the Red Sun into a goddamn goldmine.

Hanzo turned in dizzying circles, jumped and leaped from the walls surrounding the main arena, and even attempted to fly off towards the upper window. _NOT YET NOT YET NOT YET NOT YET!_ Jesse warned in his head as Hanzo fell back onto his hind legs, losing his balance as he fell sideways in the dirt. He almost crushed the cowboy on his back; Jesse’s entire body went numb as Hanzo’s full weight nearly shattered his left leg, the dragon openly struggling to pull himself up on shaking legs.

He was panting and drooling at the mouth, shivering violently; at this point, he was almost truly broken. _I’m losing too much energy, Jesse_ , Hanzo begged, forcing himself into another bouncing sprint. _My pearl is calling me, I need to fly, it’s been too-_

 _Stop running and act like you’ve been tamed_ , Jesse suddenly interrupted, feeling his body begin to shut down from the adrenaline. _Once that buzzer goes off, we’re outta here. I have my pistol ready._

Hanzo finally stumbled into a lazy trot, barely making it towards the center of the arena. The victory buzzer sounded, and the handlers made their way towards the center to save the cowboy and take the dragon back to his cage. The crowd roared as per usual, amazed that McCree had managed to tame a dragon on the first try...that was, until he whipped out Peacekeeper, fired all six rounds in a fanning motion, completely shattering the windows directly above them.

Hanzo took the signal and sprung his back legs, leaping as high into the air as his body would allow; the power from his pearl gave the beast enough energy to surge him upwards, reaching his front claws as far as they would go, barely making it to the edge of the windowsill. McCree held onto the dragon’s mane for dear life as Hanzo scrambled onto the hot stone of the butte’s roof.

“Where are the bags?!” Hanzo yelled aloud, still reeling from the adrenaline of what he had just done to his already-exhausted body.

“Be-h-hind the...the billboard, within those stones,” McCree could barely make out. Without any warning, Hanzo moved forward and scrambled along the top of the crumbling formation, gripping both of their bags in his teeth; he gripped his own within the claws of his back legs, handing McCree his bag.

“Now, throw the pearl off of the cliff!” Hanzo demanded, moving back to flat ground as his directed his attention to the cluster of canyons towards the west.

“I’m sorry, what?” McCree questioned, wasting precious seconds as the alarms began to go off.

“I said throw it, McCree!” Hanzo demanded, daring to turn his head and bore holes into the cowboy’s head with his own piercing eyes.

Jesse shoved his hand into his pocket, taking the pearl out as he forced his full weight into the single throw; as it tossed through the air, the gem blew up to the size of a basketball, and time seemed to slow once again as Hanzo pushed his legs forward, leaping through the air as he reached for his pearl. The cowboy dared to take one look down towards the earth below him...and saw every single cowhand atop horses, dirt bikes, and even all-terrain trucks, bolting in the direction they were headed.

He was jolted from his thoughts as Hanzo grasped the pearl with his outstretched paws, holding on for dear life. The magical stone pulled them downwards, causing the pair to hover down to the ground, narrowly missing a handful of rodeo riders atop four-wheelers instead of horses, as the pearl pulled them towards...well, wherever Hanzo was planning, it seemed. The beast grunted with the effort of holding on as their speed increased at ground-level, using his weakened muscles to pull the pearl closer to his chest, holding it underneath him. Desperate to stay on, Jesse kept on hand on his hat, the other one keeping a death grip on both Hanzo’s mane and the reigns coming from his mouth; he turned back to get a look at the scene behind them. A near stampede of other cowboys were headed directly towards the dragon and the cowboy; they were catching up, but the dragon was even faster. _Are you flying? Or is the pearl carrying us?_ Jesse asked, not getting a response from Hanzo. A spray of bullets suddenly whizzed past his head, blowing up puffs of dirt in the land below them. _Hate to rush you even further Hanzo, but we might need a speed boost real soon-_

Hanzo let out another bellowing, trumpet-like roar as he bowed his head forward, asking his pearl to carry them faster -- with the rate of how fast they were moving, McCree was surprised to find that his hat hadn’t fallen off. Hell, how he had managed to stay on the dragon’s saddle was a damned miracle: it felt like he was sitting on a children’s carousel, not an ancient spirit flying at nearly eighty miles per hour.

The canyon before them grew in size as the Red Sun Arena shrunk on the horizon, along with the cluster of rodeo riders headed their way. The thrill of adventure and promise of revenge against the Deadlock gang--and even the Junker Queen herself--left a bittersweet taste in his mouth: he and Hanzo were set free, but whatever lay ahead of them, Jesse knew he wouldn’t be prepared for any of it.

\---

They sat curled underneath a large, rocky outcropping within the curved maze of the canyon, listening intently for the sound of engines, of horse hooves, of whistles and voices, really anything that would alert them to the Red Sun’s presence.

Jesse was at least aware that it would take them some time to even get into the canyon: the cowboy and the dragon were nearly two miles away from the main road, and even with horses and cross-country vehicles, it would take God knows how many hours (or possibly days) before they would even find a trace of the pair. Plus, Hanzo’s ability to soar had taken them directly to the center, where they were able to hide in the sharp curve atop the dusty shore of a riverbend. It would take at least a full day or two before Gabe and the others would even find their camp, and by then Hanzo and Jesse would be long gone.

Hanzo reached out his head, taking a deep breath of the hot, dry air as Jesse crawled out from the safe coils of his long, serpentine body. “I think the coast’s clear,” Jesse announced, turning to motion for the dragon to leave the cave. He dropped his bag on the dirt, rubbing his face as he stood in the sunlight. The dragon slunk out of the shadows with caution, transforming himself into a human and grabbing his duffle bag as he moved directly towards the river. He was still completely naked, his muscles and fat bunching up as he removed a towel, soap, and a set of clean clothes, claiming a calmed pool in the river to clean off any excess sweat and dirt.

With his hands shaking violently, Jesse removed the tent and campfire supplies from his own backpack, dropping them to take a moment to collect his fried nerves; Hanzo turned to watch him sit on the dirt, suddenly screaming into his own hands while he tugged at the bangs around his temples in raw frustration. The dragon turned back around when Jesse lifted his head, pursing his lips and counting down to ten as he forced himself to hold back tears. It appeared that the mental breakdown-- at least the first stages of it--had finally arrived: Jesse’s life of constantly running and abandoning those he really cared about had finally caught up to him one last time. His fed-up mother kicked him out after he joined Deadlock to make extra money for them. He left Sangria up north with Ana, knowing that she’d be missing him dearly, but she’d be healthy and free. Now, he’d left Gabriel all to save a dragon, maybe two...and then what? It was true that all of his actions had good intentions...but what for? They brought nothing but misery to the man, and now that he had done the same thing for the third time in his life, he was beginning to regret everything that had happened.

After staring down at the dirt for a handful of painfully long minutes, the cowboy forced himself to activate the high-tech tent, kicking around a smooth spot for the campfire as he put the artificial logs in place. With a quick beep, the tent was officially standing, a soft hiss coming from the inside as the air mattress within began the self-inflation process.

Jesse turned back towards his bag, grabbing the security devices that came with their tiny shelter: Hanzo spun around, rubbing soap away from his eyes as Jesse cleared his voice and approached the bathing dragon. The cowboy was already close to a mental breakdown, and a part of Hanzo feared that Jesse was going to take out his frustrations on the other man...or himself. “Are you planning on straying away from camp for anything?” The cowboy asked, his voice somewhat raw, and his tone numb.

Hanzo shook his head. “Not really....what for?”

Jesse shrugged, pursing his lips. “I don’t know...maybe if you wanna hunt and fish or whatever the fuck dragons do.”

Hanzo stared up at him, worried of the cowboy only adding fuel to his pent-up emotions. “I’d like to stay here, since I’m not familiar with the land. I may go for a hunt tomorrow morning, but I’ll keep you informed if I choose to do that.”

McCree nodded, pulling in a shaking breath as he weighed the small security devices in his hand, along with two tiny, plastic bracelets. “I’m gonna set up a security system about twenty feet around our tent; we need to put on these bracelets to keep the alarm from going off when if we move outside of the perimeter, but if you want, I can move a beacon farther out here so you can have more space.”

Hanzo lowered his voice, attempting to sooth Jesse as the human’s emotions began to bleed into the dragon’s own psyche. “I’ll be fine, Jesse. But thank you.” He took the plastic bracelet that the cowboy offered, turning around to continue his bath.

\---

The rest of the day was one of watching, waiting, and resting for both the cowboy and the dragon. At this point, Jesse was practically numb to his surroundings and companion: he could barely process what had just happened, even as he focused on cleaning his precious pistol. From the corner of his eye, he couldn’t help but watch Hanzo brush out his raven hair, pulling most of it into a short ponytail above his head. The man leaned back, shifting his legs back into their scarred stumps as he latched his prosthetics onto his thighs. Adding a dark gray shirt and a pair of sweatpants, Hanzo looked more like a college student on their day off, rather than an escaped dragon prince on the run.

Still, as boggled as his emotions were, he couldn’t help but watch the way Hanzo’s built body moved. Even with his body clothed, McCree could see the solid muscles moving with almost delicate precision. His own stomach tightened as he watched Hanzo make his way towards him, the small pouch of chub around his belly bouncing every so slightly. Of course, Hanzo caught him staring, but Jesse didn’t turn away, only looking up to meet the other man’s eyes as he stood above him. “I’m sure the answer isn’t going to be a good one...but are you going to be okay, Jesse?” The dragon asked, gently touching a single knuckle to the sharpshooter’s shoulder.

Jesse smiled, reaching up to take Hanzo’s hand in his own. “Gonna be honest, dear, I’m really not so sure.”

Hanzo crouched down to his level, moving closer and forcing McCree to meet his eyes. “If all of this is too much for you, I...wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to go back. I can take you back to the arena, and I’ll find a way to my brother and the coast on my own.”

The cowboy dropped his head, shaking it back and forth. He put down the gun, rubbing his face as Hanzo studied him with concern in his eyes. “Hanzo, my life has been built on nothing abandonment and false promises. I promised you that I would help get Genji out of Deadlock’s hands, and I would send the both of you back to your homeland. I can’t up and leave one more person like that.”

Hanzo opened his mouth, having the need to say several things to the other man, but he decided it would be best to stay quiet. It was obvious that McCree needed some personal space and time to gather his own thoughts, and Hanzo knew that was reason enough to leave him alone.

\---

Evening came faster than either of them had predicted. It would be less than two hours before the moon began her scheduled climb into the night sky, so Hanzo decided to take this as the opportune moment to become fully reconnected with his pearl.

While Jesse got to work on lighting their fire--and determining which cans of food would be best suited for a man who was actually a fully-grown dragon--Hanzo dug through his bag to retrieve his pearl, summoning the orb to float in his bare hands as he carried it over to a flattened stone, just before the borders of the security ring. Jesse watched out of the corner of his eye as Hanzo shifted into his other form, reaching underneath his ribs to undo the belt of the tattered saddle, tossing it to the side as he reached up and pulled the bridle from off of his head. The blue dragon took a moment to rub at the raw skin near his belly, rolling his jaw from the tight grip of the reins; with the size and shape of his meaty paws, McCree was somewhat surprised to see that he was able to remove everything to easily.

Hanzo took the signal of the sun dipping below the horizon to grab his pearl and get to work: as he sat on the stone, the orb floated before him, held up as the dragon took two pinches of light from the top and bottom of the pearl, stretching them out to fit around the widest part of his torso. The prince then rotated his arms counter-clockwise, causing Jesse to give his full attention as the light from the strands left their mark in the open air, creating a sparkling portal before Hanzo. The dragon stepped through, pushing the pearl through the center with his forehead while the light stretched around him like a magical sock; doing so transformed him into an even more impressive version of the dragon than what Jesse had come to know.

He stepped down from the stone, gracefully slinking towards Jesse as the portal closed at the tip of his tail, his pearl returned back to it’s smaller size as it faithfully floated directly next to his right shoulder. Jesse let out a deep sigh, enamoured in Hanzo’s ethereal beauty. His scales, now a more diverse range of blues and grays and a hint of silver, glistened and sparkled in the dying light of dawn. His mane had grown as well, appearing to be more luscious and silky than before as it traveled from the top of his head, down to the very end of his tail, ending in a softened clump that flowed more gracefully than anything the cowboy had seen on an animal before. McCree even noted that at the top of his head, it appeared the same ponytail from his human form had been tied up with a glowing, golden ribbon, part of his hair falling over his face in a charming manner: his beard, still sticking up, was pristine and sharp, a stark contrast to the flowing whiskers that poked out from his upper lip. The glint from his shimmering, deer-like horns and softened eyes were almost blinding to the cowboy, twisting his heart in a sad, yet beautiful manner.

In a way, this true form represented the real Hanzo, at least in McCree’s eyes; not a man, not a dragon, but a fusion of both. Or at least, this Hanzo had pieces of his human form that the cowboy had come to be familiar with; his tattoo was represented by a curling strip of scales travelling down his right front leg, with the prosthetics of his back legs projecting themselves in a more draconic-way. Once the dragon finally settled down next to the fire with a loud and content huff, McCree had to close his jaw, clearing his throat as he observed the dragon. “You know, Hanzo...I have to say that you are...uhh...q-quite beautiful. Very beautiful, actually.”

The dragon’s ears turned back for a second, surprised by Jesse’s flattering words. The cowboy read it as too sudden, and cursed himself for throwing out a compliment out of the blue. Hanzo, however, was surprised to see his sudden change in mood after his small fit earlier that day. The dragon smiled slightly, turning his head and slowly closing his eyes. “You flatter me,” Hanzo chuckled, focusing his eyes on Jesse’s as he responded. “But thank you. I haven’t heard someone compliment me with such honesty like that in quite some-”

He was interrupted by a harsh beeping coming from the front right pocket of the cowboy’s dusty jeans, the lockscreen glowing to show a picture of a younger Gabriel. Jesse’s blood went cold as his heart began to throb in his chest, his fingers shaking as he fumbled for the small device. He looked up at Hanzo, who only nodded, encouraging him to take the call.

Jesse stood up, moving behind the tent for a bit of privacy as he took several deep breaths, his thumb hovering over the answer button. The beeping continued as Jesse just...stared at the photo, not knowing what to do, or what he would say. He knew that Gabriel was the kind of man who would chew you out, but would end his lecture with a caring talk: he was harsh, at times, but for good reason.

“Why didn’t you answer him?” Hanzo asked as Jesse returned to the fire, even though he was certain of the reason why.

Jesse was quiet for some time, rotating the small device in his hands before shoving it back into his pocket. “I’m not quite ready to talk to him just yet. He’ll have the usual questions of why I’m doing this...and I guess I don’t have that answer just yet.”

The dragon sat up to stretch, flexing his gold claws as he thoughtlessly gathered a small pile of dust around his feet. Hanzo looked back at McCree, who had started to stir a pot of nearly-expired soup. “I understand that you aren’t willing to leave me, and I won’t argue you over that, considering how stubborn you are,” Hanzo commented, getting the tiniest smile out of the man. “However, if we get to Japan safely and in one piece, I’ll owe it to you to come back to retrieve Gabriel, and anyone else you’ve made promises to. It’ll be my debt to you, for rescuing me.”

Jesse looked up at the dragon, his heart warmed and his emotions thrown back into a bittersweet turmoil at the dragon’s promise. “You’d do that for me?”

Hanzo didn’t speak, only nodded, reaching out a massive paw for Jesse to touch in the form of a handshake. He gently grasped a fist over one large finger. “Sounds like a fine deal to me, partner.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hanzo shows Jesse a part of his world.

The dead of night fell upon Hanzo and Jesse quickly, with no sign of any followers, either. In a way, it was comforting and soothing to know that none of the other cowhands had found a way towards their camp: as comforting as it was, it also put Jesse on edge when he thought of the idea of the search party refusing to enter the canyon for any number of reason.

Jesse took one clear look around their border and towards the canyon walls above them one final time before returning to his soup. The pot over the fire bubbled and steamed, releasing a surprising amount of the flavorful aroma around them; the scent of beef, vegetables, and thick gravy stirred Hanzo from his short nap. He groggily yawned, daring to peek his head over the fire, taking in a deep scent of the food.

“I can fix you a bowl, if you’d like,” Jesse commented, noting the dragon’s interest.

Hanzo sat up, twisting his head and flexing his legs a bit, before returning to his human body. “I may get up early to hunt,” Hanzo replied, standing up and shivering. “However, I can’t refuse a hot meal that smells as filling and as rich as an _expired_ stew.”

“If you want quality food, Hanzo, I’m sure there’s a fine-dining option just up-river,” Jesse joked, drawing a chuckle from the other man, who entered the tent to grab a jacket. The raven-haired prince sat right next to Jesse, pressing his hands in front of the fire as he held back a bout of violent shivers.

He hugged his jacket around himself. “You know, I never realized how cold a desert could get at night,” He commented, drawing the rough, canvas-like fabric around himself.

“It most definitely can get nasty out around here,” McCree commented, almost offering up his serape to Hanzo as an extra layer of warmth; he feared it would be too much after his comment about Hanzo’s heavenly appearance, so saw it fit to hold back. “What about where you’re from? Are your winters just as harsh as the ones we have here?”

Hanzo nodded, whispering a ‘thank you’ as Jesse passed him a cracked, plastic bowl filled with the beef stew. “Japanese winters can grow to be very harsh: similar to the weather you have here, or so I’ve heard.”

Silence fell over them as they stared at the fire, picking at the soup in their bowls. Jesse cleared his throat, readying a question that would be even more ballsy than offering up his cloak. “So, do you uuhh...got anyone special back at home?”

“Besides my mother and the last servant to stay with our family, no.” Hanzo laughed, causing Jesse to grin as he scraped the last few bits from his bowl. “Most of my friends have grown up or moved away, and I’ve become much too picky when it comes to finding a mate.” He lifted the bowl, savoring the heavy broth as it warmed his body.

“What? Your standards too high for the other dragons?” The cowboy joked, turning to look at Hanzo.

“Not exactly,” Hanzo sighed, keeping the mood lifted while still answering Jesse’s question. “I’ve had too many bad experiences with mates who only want me for my family’s fortune instead of an honest courtship. As soon as Genji and I presented as true, adult dragons, the elders of our clan invited other suitable partners to win us over; of course, the elders didn’t exactly care if we truly fell in love or not. They wanted to keep the Shimada bloodline going, and wanted my brother and myself to produce pups as soon as possible. That, along with our younger age, was more reason for us to reject any other dragon to come near us when it came to sudden-courtship and mating”

“There wasn’t...anyone? Not a single other dragon who peaked your fancy?” Jesse pressed, wanting Hanzo to tell him more stories of his world and the other dragons that inhabited it.

“I was only introduced to aggressive, male-presenting drakes who wanted to get the mating done and over with.” Hanzo explained, scratching a pattern into the last bits of broth with the edge of his spoon. “I wanted a fulfilling relationship with someone I would trust more than anything, whom I would love and cherish as a close friend, and who would give me children when I was ready, and only if I wanted to carry. I didn’t want a mate who would...fatten me up with an unpredicted pregnancy, and would then find an excuse to leave.” Hanzo was quiet for a moment, letting out a laugh small enough to be a snort as he looked back into the fire. “It didn’t much help that Genji didn’t want a mate at all.”

Jesse chewed his lip, understanding what Hanzo meant and what he really wanted from life. Was this one of the reasons Genji had run off to America? He couldn’t blame the younger dragon: if he was being forced to suddenly marry and bring little ones in the world, he wouldn’t want to stay around either.

The cowboy came up with another question, praying that he wasn’t bothering Hanzo with his yearning to understand more. “I mean, if your options were that limited, how many other dragons are there?”

“In Japan, there are barely a few,” The elder Shimada explained, glancing at the cowboy to his left. “I remember my parents travelling to meetings with other dragons like us--and even some others in places all around the world--but from where I’m from, there are only about forty of us. Less than ten of those were younger drakes and females who were the same age as my brother and myself.”

“Jesus, that’s it?” McCree asked, incredulous. He couldn’t barely comprehend a number that small. “What happened to all of them?”

Hanzo shrugged, locking eyes with Jesse. “Humans spreading out to build their massive cities, pushing us into the wilderness, the usual. Plus, mating rates dropped once the older spirits started forcing dragons like Genji and myself into relationships with other young dragons who were too young to care about the survival of our species. Even then, a few others rebelled and turned to the human lifestyle, choosing to mate with them instead of other dragons - those children born had the dragon’s essence within them, but they could not shift into the same beastly form as one of their parents.”

“Damn. So...you’re saying that there are people out there with...basically dragon’s blood, stirring in their veins? But they don’t have the same...powers?” McCree pondered.

“Perhaps,” Hanzo shrugged, bumping his shoulder with the larger man. “Still, you ask too many questions, Jesse McCree. It’s my turn to ask if you have anyone special in your life.”

The cowboy laughed. “I have Gabe and I have my old horse, but other than that, no one really. Of course, I had my parents and grandparents...well, until my dad passed away and my mom went back to Mexico after I started getting into trouble with the Deadlock gang.” He added, going quiet for a moment. “And then, after that...as a younger man, I was only interested in the dirty thrill of a one-night stand, never a serious relationship. Now that I’m getting older, however...the idea of settling down with someone feels...nice. Even while I was stuck at the Red Sun.”

Their camp was silent one more time, only broken by the subtle sounds of movement from the dragon and rider, the snapping of the fire, and the sudden yipping and crying of coyotes in the distance. Hanzo froze, turning towards the direction of the source as Jesse took their bowls to clean in the morning. “Just a pack of dogs, nothing too harmless,” The cowboy assured Hanzo, who slowly turned back towards the licking flames. “They might come around, but one whiff of your beastly scent, and they’ll turn tail and run.”

Hanzo looked at him, cocking an eyebrow as Jesse let out a bellowing laugh. “Funny...I didn’t see you taking a bath today, Jesse McCree. Perhaps they’ll be more afraid of you?”

Jesse let out another bark of a laugh, causing Hanzo to cover his mouth and chuckle. The moon was directly above them, marking the primal hour of midnight; Jesse kicked the logs around the fire, leaning back on Hanzo’s old saddle, using his serape as a blanket. “Alright, the tent’s all yours whenever you want it. Night, Hanzo.”

The dragon stood up quietly, looking down at the cowboy as he cocked his head to the side. “You brought this large tent and you’re choosing to sleep out here in the dirt?”

Jesse shifted onto his right shoulder, staring up at Hanzo with dark eyes. “I’ll be fine out here. Done it plenty of times before, sugar, don’t you worry.”

Hanzo huffed, walking away to duck under the tent. “Suit yourself, cowboy. I’ll remember to leave some room for you, if you change your mind.” The dragon took the dismissive wave of Jesse’s metal hand as the signal to stop fussing and go to bed.

\---

As the fire finally died, and the moon moved closer to the horizon, Jesse McCree awoke with an abrupt start, suddenly realizing that he should’ve taken up Hanzo’s offer. He had spent most of the night sleepless, and shivering violently: taking note of every single sound coming from the environment around them didn’t help his restlessness much either.

As soon as he opened the flap to the tent, the cowboy was hit with a wave of heat; after his eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw Hanzo dead-asleep in his front, his hair out of the ponytail and wildly fanned on his back. Jesse carefully moved beside, him, going as far as to holding his breath, hoping and praying that he wouldn’t wake the man up as he finally let his massive form settle on the foam mattress. Being in the shelter of the tent and laying atop the surface was warm enough, but the heat radiating from Hanzo was like a furnace, and he forced himself to roll away. The idea of wrapping his body around the other man was most definitely enticing, but McCree was at least grateful for the fact that they even had a shelter.

\---

The morning came only a few hours later, and Jesse awoke to the trickling river, and the sound of a scuffle outside of the tent. He glanced over to see that Hanzo wasn’t in the bed with him and a burst of panic set in before he heard the dragon’s familiar, energetic snorting.

The sound of heavy paws slamming into the ground and some sort of other surface only woke the cowboy up more, along with another sound that sent a wave of tense cold throughout his whole body: with the snorting and huffing came the sound of cracking bones; it was painfully sharp and crisp, along with the wet rips of muscle, skin, and ligaments. He grabbed Peacekeeper, moving as softly as he could; a part of him had remembered Hanzo mentioning going on a morning hunt, but another part also remember the dragon mentioning other draconic-beasts living in other parts of the world. Had they...strayed into someone’s territory?

McCree let out a slow breath as he cautiously peeled back the door to the tent to see that it was Hanzo, to his relief. However, last-night’s dinner churned in his stomach as he witnessed the dragon tearing into a wild burro, hungering for the rich, raw flavor of fresh meat while still riding on the adrenaline of a kill. Hanzo’s paws and muzzle were dripping with ruby-red blood, bits of leftovers stuck in between his teeth, his belly somewhat bloated from the amount he had already consumed. Jesse also noted that the back left leg of the burro was completely missing; his eyes turned towards the fire to see the appendage roasting over the flames, obviously meant to serve as the cowboy’s breakfast.

“Um...mornin’, Hanzo,” Jesse stood up, trying to get the dragon’s attention. “I see you uuhh...actually went for that hunt you mentioned.”

Hanzo’s eyes flicked up towards Jesse as he quickly swallowed a strip of intestine, gathering his composure as he stopped eating the animal in order to address the cowboy. “Good morning. I apologize for the noise and the...mess,” He replied, licking his lips and bare teeth. “As I said before, I haven’t gone on a proper hunt in some time.”

Jesse nodded, waving a hand. His eyes dared to look at the spilled entrails of the smaller animal, and he had to let out a long breath. “It’s a….all good,” He nodded up at Hanzo. “How far off did you go? I didn’t think there were any other living things out here.”

Hanzo turned his head, using his whiskers to point in the direction upriver. “I came across what appeared to be an abandoned mining town, where the herd--or rather, a cluster of four animals--were taking shelter. I don’t remember how fast I was flying, but I would say it’s only about a mile or so from here.”

“Maybe we’ll fly over, see if there’s anything in there worth grabbing,” Jesse added, ducking back into the tent to grab a map he had painstakingly written notes down on two nights before their grand escape. “For now, however, if you’ve got enough energy in ya, we’re gonna be doing a lot of flying for most of today.”

“How far away is the Deadlock gang’s headquarters, exactly?” Hanzo asked, sniffing the map as Jesse placed it on the ground, holding down the corners with a handful of smaller stones.

“Well, the main area is located on what was once a busy truck stop over in New Mexico,” Jesse explained, pointing to a much-smaller plot of land directly to the west of Texas. “The only problem is that Deadlock’s got eyes all over the state; it’d be better for us to maybe head farther up north towards Colorado for at least a day. We can rest for a bit, gain some more energy, and formulate an actual plan from there. After that, we can head down south to their headquarters.”

The dragon was silent, his heavy breathing rumbling through his torso as he searched the pattern that Jesse had explained; a drop of blood fell from his mouth, causing Jesse to flinch as it splashed across the eastern border of Texas. Hanzo still said nothing, the only noise coming from the drag of his tongue over his mouth, the dragon attempting to get the remains of the burro off of his face. “You don’t think Colorado is a bit too far out of the way?” He argued. “Why not rest in a secluded area in New Mexico? Or somewhere in Texas?”

Jesse looked up at him, removing his hat to get a better look at the beast. “I already said that Deadlock’s basically gotten their greasy little hands all over the area, and as soon as we cross that border, they’ll know we’re around there somewhere.” Hanzo growled, turning his head away from Jesse. “Oh, don’t give me that! I hate to go out of the way as much as you do, but we need to be as ready as possible for whatever they throw at us. It will only be for one night, Hanzo; after that, we can grab your brother, head towards California, and you’ll be on your way back home.”

The dragon turned around, moving to pace along the river. “It would be better for us not to waste our precious time, McCree,” Hanzo argued, flaring his nostrils towards Jesse in a sudden bout of anger. “Who knows what they’re doing to Genji as we speak? As we...sit here and treat this mission as a vacation.”

The cowboy stood up, planting his hands on his hips as he watched the dragon move back and forth. “This ain’t a vacation, Hanzo, you know that as much as I do,” He explained, hoping to keep the dragon’s quick temper under control. “I know Deadlock inside and out and I know how careful we’ll have to be to even get near them. You have to trust me, Hanzo. I know how the land is, and if we can’t work together, we’ll either fail, or die.”

Hanzo continued his pacing before he finally stopped to stare at the water, turning his head all the way around, making direct eye-contact with Jesse. “Then I suggest that we leave as soon as we’re both finished with our meal.”

\---

Their bags were packed of their belongings and supplies, the camp was cleared of any evidence that they were resting there, and everything was ready...except for the fact that Hanzo wasn’t ride-ready. McCree stared down at the worn, leather saddle that the arena had strapped onto him; it was older than the cowboy himself, and looked in no-way comfortable for the dragon.

“Now what?” Hanzo asked, his impatience growing. He too, looked down at the riding gear, following Jesse’s eyes as the cowboy tried to follow the shape of the serpent’s lanky back.

“I don’t know about you, but this thing doesn’t look comfortable,” Jesse replied, his words failing to come out as the dragon dragged the hefty saddle towards him, examining the piece. “We can ride...bareback if you want; just...seeing how that thing digs into your ribs gives me the willies.”

Hanzo said nothing, only opening another portal with his pearl. “I’ll use my pearl to make it more comfortable. Strap it on, Jesse, you won’t hurt me.”

The dragon’s choice of words brought a rush of blood into the cowboy’s face as he hefted the leather seat onto Hanzo’s back, reaching underneath to grab a hold of the buckle, slipping the belt through. Jesse tugged with a few jerking motions, causing Hanzo to grunt as the air was pressed from his body. As soon as the gear was on, however, the dragon called up his pearl, creating another shimmering portal: as he stepped through, Hanzo’s physical form hadn’t changed, but the saddle atop his back appeared to be fit for a king rather than a rookie rodeo rider.

The seat went from matted, dry leather, to materials of the finest fabrics: the majority of it was a midnight black, adorned with gold silk around the edge of the saddle and the handles at the front. The center where McCree would be sitting--along with the bottom of the piece and the belts around Hanzo’s chest and middle--was padded with the softest fur, comfortable for both. A flickering light right below Hanzo’s muscular neck caught the cowboy’s eye, and as he turned around, Jesse saw the pearl floating in front of the bejeweled piece. “You’re never gonna fail to impress me, are you?” The rider mumbled, shaking his head as he observed the dragon.

“Are you claiming that I’m showing off?” Hanzo joked, moving to settle on the dry earth, waiting for McCree to climb on.

“If you are, I certainly don’t mind it at all,” Jesse added, chuckling as he grabbed their bags. He went for the net-like compartment at the rear of the high-backed settle, placing their bags in securely before he moved over to Hanzo’s size, gently moving his hand along the dragon’s flank. Hanzo turned around as he did, watching as Jesse finally hoisted himself onto the seat: as before, he could feel the raw energy from the dragon and the pearl. The added leverage and comfort only fueled Jesse’s confidence: gone was his nervousness of shooting through the sky at a dangerous pace. At this point in time, his emotions had been replaced with the same energy and need to move freely with Hanzo.

The dragon stood up, shaking out his legs and mane, preparing for take-off. Jesse turned around once more, making sure that their camp was cleared of any evidence. The burro’s blood had been washed away with handfuls of river water, and any tracks left behind by the cowboy and the dragon had been swept away with the aid of Hanzo’s lengthy tail. Jesse took a deep breath, turning his eyes down to the front of the saddle below him: in place of a horn were two metal handles, surrounding a wobbling compass. “I...wait a second, where are the reins?” Jesse suddenly asked, looking around for anything to get a grip besides the bars in front of him.

“Why would we need them when we can speak directly to one another?” Hanzo pointed out, his tail flicking back and forth in anticipation. “We can take them out of the bag...that is, if you’re too scared to go forth with this journey only based on trust?”

McCree took a deep breath. “You know that ain’t what I’m talking about, Hanzo,” He argued. “I’m used to riding everything with a reign in my grip. I guess...well, at least I have something to grasp onto.”

His leather glove creaked as Jesse squeezed his hand around the bar to the right of the compass, reaching up with his other arm to get a solid grip on his hat. His eyes flicked downwards at the compass. “Well, if we’re gonna be going off of voices, I’d suggest we move northwards,” McCree pointed, guiding Hanzo until the front of the dragon was in-line with the pointed arrow of the device. “We’ll be headed that direction for the entirety, unless something gets in our way.”

“How will you know for certain that we are in Colorado?” Hanzo asked, his impatience growing.

“There’s a man-made valley just past the state line,” The rider explained. “It’s similar to the idea of an oasis within a desert. Apparently the government developed the land in an attempt to same some of the endangered wildlife, though...it’s been abandoned for years now. Gabe used to stop supply runs there when we would have to travel far away from the Red Sun; it’s all untamed wilderness, perfect for us to make camp and hide for a day or two.”

The dragon’s only reply was a single snort before he sprung into the air, reaching his limbs forwards as the pearl pulled them upwards. Jesse gasped, taking his hand off of his hat in order to get a more-solid grip on the metal handles of the saddle horn. He waited with anticipation for his hat to fly off and away for good, for the air to dry his eyes and freeze his skin...however, there seemed to be no wind whatsoever. The cowboy forced his eyes open, daring to go one step further and observe the shrinking horizon below him: at first, his heart dropped into his belly at how fast the landscape was shrinking, but when he really took a moment to look around, he realized how beautiful the area really was. McCree also remembered the fact that Hanzo had wanted to show him the abandoned town he had explored earlier that morning, but that idea wasn’t even in their minds for a second -- their growing bond and the graceful power of Hanzo’s pearl had turned their frantic, turbulent ride in a comfortable and casual cruise, and now they were focused on the freedom of pure, streamlined flight.

_I’m assuming Colorado is farther away from here?_ Hanzo asked in Jesse’s mind. _I need you to tell me if there are any specific landmarks I should be watching out for._

_It used to take the supply parties at least four to five hours to even reach the border_ , Jesse replied, still in awe at the vast world below them. _But, considering how fast we’re...flying, and how we don’t have to follow a specific road....I’m gonna guess about two hours? I’ll recognize the landscape and grab you attention when we need to land, don’t you worry_.

_Hmm_ , Hanzo added, his ears and eyes constantly rotating and twitching around at their new surroundings. _If that’s the case, I’d like to show you something, that is, if you wouldn’t mind?_   McCree looked upwards towards where the dragon was taking them: a thick wall of clouds that grew closer and closer. The cowboy almost braced for impact at their immense size and darkened density.

_You don’t even need to ask anymore, sugar_ , Jesse added. _I want to know everything about your world, even if I forget my own._

McCree’s suddenly-sentimental tone sent a short burst of emotions through Hanzo’s being, forcing the dragon to hold back a grin as he pushed forward, sending the both of them into the steaming behemoth. For a second, both were disoriented at the lack of surroundings...that was, until they broke through to the other side.

Jesse had to remind himself that they were still on a part of earth, even if they had just broken into a little slice of heaven. Up here, they were in a vast valley of clouds. The sunlight scattered colors of light blue and gold, with hints of purple and pink sprinkled throughout; the clouds curled over one another like reaching hands or outstretched cliffs, bending inwards and outwards to create small pockets and dips to hide in. The cowboy had to close his jaw, releasing the handles to stretch his arms out wide, letting the frigid, damp wind to run over his body.

Hanzo began to dive downwards, causing Jesse to casually grab the handles once more. If he concentrated hard enough, he realized that he could almost predict the dragon’s movements, allowing him to move in whatever direction his companion was heading. Jesse looked down to watch as Hanzo let his paws lower towards the clouds, causing steam and mist to break up around them. The cowboy gripped one of the handles while letting his left arm hang behind as Hanzo banked left and right in a solid, yet fluid movement.

Up here, out in the open air, surrounded by mountains of clouds and strips of cooled steam, it felt as if the dragon and his rider were secluded in their own little world, far away from the dangers and horrors of the world below. Hanzo took in a deep, clean breath of air, snorting and shaking his body as they burst through a soft pillar of condensation. _When we were cubs, as soon as we perfected the art of flying, Genji and I would spend hours upon hours searching the sky for areas like these_ , He explained to McCree. _We could spend a whole day up here, chasing one another, playing hide and seek. Until one of our parents called for us to return to earth, we would be in our own form of paradise_.

Jesse couldn’t hold back the grin that came with the image of the siblings chasing one another in their secret little world: young, carefree, unaware of where they came from and the futures that they would have to face. The cowboy couldn’t help feel the same emotions while he was up here, gaining enough trust from Hanzo for the dragon to show him his own secret hideaway. Even if they were on an important, possibly life-endangering rescue mission, it was nice to know that there were parts of the world like this that were still beautiful and untouched by powerful, threatening hands. He knew that this journey and experience with Hanzo would be something that few--or rather, next to no one--would have the chance or privilege to experience.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A good warning: shit gets REALLY FUCKIN' Sappy and Gay in this chapter....

After exiting the cloud valley and gliding back downwards towards the normal altitude, Hanzo and Jesse’s flight lasted the estimated two hours that Jesse had guessed. The best part was that it seemed to pass like a flash. The view from up above and their small talk with one another made the duration of the trip feel like nothing at all, even when Hanzo began to lower his altitude.

_ Do you see anything you recognize? _ He asked McCree, drawing out a quick yawn.  _ I need to rest soon _ . 

 The cowboy could sense the dragon’s drained energy, along with his own. _I feel you, Han_ , He replied, daring to throw the little nickname his way, patting the side of the beast’s neck. _We have to be getting closer by now...I think I’m starting to recognize the terrain_ …

 The horizon below them had transformed from the dusty, red desert, and had begun to flow into rolling, grassy plains. Sprinkles of flowers dotted the hills, along with the scurrying forms of prairie dogs and rabbits. Jesse turned his focus upwards and before them. Small bumps of mountains stood like behemoths in the distance, and Jesse couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Pretty soon they would come upon the more dense parts of Colorado’s wilderness, and McCree hoped that they would reach the valley soon.

 \---

 Even out in the untamed wilds, the damage done by the Omnic Crisis was vast, and it was especially evident in the open lands of the American plains. Even before the uprisings, the highest populations were typically found in the safety of dense cities. Yet still, close quarters and tense situations had lead to sudden population drops within the massive walls of these urban fortresses. Thanks to this, next to no one in the countryside remained or stayed to defend their lands; those who did often lost their lives and their property, allowing Mother Nature to take back the land that was once hers. 

 A high-pitched whinny grabbed both Hanzo and Jesse’s attention: below them, a clustered herd of wild mustangs carelessly crossed a long-forgotten highway. There was no need for them to worry about passing cars, about humans getting in their way.The Omnic Crisis caused damage and terror to the human population, but it was apparent that it had done good for the surrounding wildlife.

The dragon and his rider soared over several ghost towns, abandoned and destroyed farms, and several more strips of faded roads; a few dead and dismantled Bastion units lay forgotten in these crumbling towns, some slumped over the bullet-riddled frames of cars and trucks. Hanzo’s head flicked back and forth as he moved closer towards the earth, observing the damage done.  _ I had no idea the uprising had reached out this far...and had this much of an impact _ , He commented.

  _Yeah, things turned for the worst out here_ , McCree replied, the imagery of the war-torn area bringing back a fresh memory of his childhood into his mind: him and his mother, Veronica, hiding in the corner of their storm cellar, muffled gunshots and the whirring of robotic soldiers coming from the shaking wooden door. Jesse couldn’t keep his thoughts on one spot, on the sounds of monsters outside, on the cold, dry night air in their basement, the death grip he had on his wolf plush, wondering ‘Where the hell is dad he should be home by now what if the Omnics passed through town what if they go towards his work--

 McCree shook his head, trying not to remember that fateful night that changed both himself and his mother for the worst. It was after that that they had to leave their demolished farm and live with his grandparents. Even without their small farm and her husband, Seamus, she could work enough to support her only son, but it was the fear of leftover bands of Omnic troops that kept them in the more populated and protected cities of New Mexico. Any photograph of his father was lost after their farm was destroyed, and Veronica had chosen to keep the few she had away from Jesse, even refusing to speak of him. At first, the child believed it was because he had been a bad man to them. However, he could never recall any memories of his parents fighting, or Seamus ever being threatening to them. Jesse came to realize it was simply because after all of those years, his mother had never properly grieved over her husband, and didn’t know how to tell her only son about him in the best way possible. _Even now that it’s all over, no one wants to even take the chance of living out here anymore_. 

 Hanzo only huffed in response, rolling his body slightly to avoid an overturned school bus. _Why wouldn’t they?_ He asked, angling to return to the safety of the sky above. 

 The cowboy chuckled. _The land out her may be free from the uprisings, but it’s still lawless_ , He replied. _The government doesn’t care about it and won’t dare to even try to make these small towns livable again. Though, the people of the old tribes have taken their land back, but other than that, most of the survivors chose the safety of larger cities_.

  _And what do you prefer, then?_ Hanzo asked. _You’ve lived out here in this…’lawless’ land with your family, but then you’ve also lived in the safer cities_.

 Jesse took a deep breath. _I guess I’m...not entirely sure. In all honesty, I could work with both….but one can be just as dangerous as the other_. 

\---

 To both Hanzo and Jesse’s relief, they finally reached the valley later that afternoon, just before the sun was starting her descent towards the horizon. With the added values from the setting sun, it was just as beautiful as Jesse remembered; a valley cut deep into the earth, surrounded by rolling, fertile hills and dense evergreen forests. The direct center of the area was anchored down by a glittering, almost crystal-clear lake, where birds of all shapes and sizes hovered around and sat gingerly upon the water’s surface.

  _There’s a flat campsite, farther on the western side of the lake_ , Jesse announced, directing his focus towards the man-made clearing. _It’s nice and hidden as well, so it’d be perfect for us to stop and set up camp_. 

 Hanzo followed his intended direction, lowering into a soaring dive towards the treeline as he spotted the flattened clearing that Jesse had been speaking of. Judging from the rotted picnic table and the bent-up barbeque, it was an area made for hikers who wished to rest for camp, but hadn’t been touched or repaired in years.

 Maneuvering his way through the jagged points of the evergreens, Hanzo floated down towards the soft earth with a gentle thud, taking in a deep breath of the natural air. Jesse climbed from the saddle, stopping to shake out his sore, over-stretched legs. He limped slightly as he moved to stand at Hanzo’s shoulder, looking towards the lake via a break in the trees. 

 The dragon took in more whiffs of the air as the wind pushed a handful of different scents towards him. “The prey is rich here,” He commented, his nostrils flaring and his ears swiveling at every sound the forest life created. “Perhaps I’ll go for a hunt once more.”

 “Well, while you’re off doing that, I think I’m gonna go take a bath after I set up camp,” Jesse responded as he unclipped their bags from Hanzo’s saddle. “I’d like to borrow your soap, if you wouldn’t mind?”

 Hanzo moved his head to meet his deep, dark brown eyes. “I was hoping to clean off as well, if you wouldn’t mind me joining you?” The dragon commented as he reached underneath his ribs to undo the belt of the saddle. “And I would also like to take you hunting with me.”

 “Won’t I be a distraction for you?” The cowboy asked as he went along with the routine of unpacking their tent, supplies for the fire, and the pieces and accessories for the security border.

 The dragon shook his head as he took a moment to stretch and shake feeling back into his stiffened limbs. He moved into his human form, moving the saddle towards the side of the tent as he spoke to the cowboy. “I’m planning on hunting in this form, with my Stormbow. I simply want some company with me, but maybe, perhaps, we can compare weapons. See if you can handle my bow the same way you handle that gun of yours?”

 “That might be an embarrassing sight for the both of us,” Jesse chuckled. “I’m more of a sharpshooter, not an archer like yourself, sugar.”

 “The way our weapons are intended to be used are surprisingly similar, Jesse McCree,” Hanzo replied, playfully punching his shoulder as the cowboy stood up to watch him after activating the tent. The prince reached into his own bag to grab soap and towels for the both of them to share. “Now, are you coming with me?”

 Jesse nodded, setting up the main modem near the tent door, attempting to hide his blush at the thought of being close to the dragon as they bathed in the lake together. “Yeah, sure Han...uhh...lemme just set this up again…” After activating the tiny machine, he strapped on his own rubber bracelet after handing the other to Hanzo. “Okay. Lead the way.”

 \---

 “So, what other animals live out here in this oasis?” Hanzo couldn’t help but ask as they made their way down to the beach via a worn path. “When I was scenting the area I picked up rabbits and birds, but nothing larger than that. If humans aren’t out here, larger creatures would be thriving, wouldn’t you think?”

 Jesse sighed, glancing at the shorter man out of the corner of his eye. “Funny enough, humans are the exact reason there aren’t barely any deer or elk out here anymore.”

 As they reached the soft dirt of the shore, Hanzo set down their towels and soap, stripping himself of his shirt and pants in a smooth motion. “What happened to them? I thought the humans left after the crisis.”

 “They did, but those who stayed behind or wandered the land over hunted them,” McCree explained, undoing his belt and setting his hat down on a round, smooth stone. “The crisis took a massive toll on the agriculture around here as well: farmers fields were completely burnt down, and oftentimes cattle and livestock were simply left to be caught in the crossfire. It gave desperate farmers and other survivors the reason to hunt anything they could. For awhile, even parts of wild animals were almost considered a currency. People would spent wild amounts of money on a share of venison or caribou. Thankfully, they’re not completely wiped out, but the last few herds are kept in secret, government-protected zoos and farms, now.” 

 Hanzo gingerly dipped his metallic feet in the lapping water, taking in a sharp gasp at the cold temperature. He spoke to Jesse as the cowboy finished undressing. “I’m guessing the attack on farms and livestock affected you and your family, as well?”

 “It did, in more ways than one,” McCree lamented, remembering the image of their torn barn and charred garden, bullet holes riddling the siding of their house. “Even with the farm gone, prices for basic meats shot up. The shock of my father being killed in the main wave screwed us up in more ways than one. My momma could easily work to support the two of us alone, but the emotional toll of his death and the fear of the machines that took him away from us forced us to go to live with my grandparents for a few years.”

 Hanzo went quiet as he stepped into the water, watching as Jesse quietly moved in as well. Suddenly, the dragon jumped forward into a clean dive, coming up soaked and gasping at the refreshing chill of the clear water. Steam seemed to rise from his body, the wisps of moisture floating around him as he swam towards Jesse to grab the soap, blushing at the sight of the naked cowboy still standing above him. Not wanting to press about Jesse’s dead father, he instead cleared his throat to ask a different question. “What’s your mother like, Jesse?”

 With the bar of soap in one hand, Jesse forced himself to move further into the water, nearly yelping as he dropped to his chest in the chilling waters. “Well....like most women of the west, she was wise and understanding, even at her younger age,” He explained. “Though...the heartbreak of losing Dad took turned her general stress into a physical strain on her heart and she...well, she got real sick when I was about seventeen. She couldn’t work, so I joined Deadlock to try and make some extra money for us, maybe even get access to prescription drugs or better healthcare...in one way, or another. If you can guess, all it got me into was deep trouble; my grandparents realized that I had basically sold my soul to the gang, so they packed what they could and went back to Mexico...without me. With her they took any information or memories about my Dad, as well.” Jesse laughed to himself in remorse. “People always wonder why I never talk about my dad, and it’s only because I barely knew the man. I had a feeling he was good to me and Momma, though…”

 Hanzo stopped his swimming as his heart tightened at Jesse’s story, his emotions urging him to say or do something to comfort the other man. He simply watched as the rider lowered himself even farther into the cool water, staring at the ripples as his beard barely broke the surface. “Sometimes I wonder if Veronica’s still alive….hell, if my grandparents are, too, if there was some miracle out there that allowed them all to live another thirty years. I doubt it, though....” His voice softened as his rambling ended, watching the dragon as Hanzo moved slightly closer to him, lowering his own chin to the water’s level. “Anyways, enough of me. What about your mom, Hanzo?”

 The other man was taken back a bit by his sudden change in demeanor, but he answered the question anyways. “I guess Hiroe is like...any mother, I would say. She raised Genji and myself even while performing clan duties and other business tasks alongside our father, Sojiro. Strict only when she caught us acting as childish fools, sweet any other times during our lives, especially proud when she saw the strong, youthful dragons that the clan wanted us to be. Even going against the elder's orders and showing an understanding mindset when Genji and I wanted to go along our own paths in life instead of marrying and starting duties at a young age.” He continued his casual floating. “She was especially supportive and strong even when our father passed away. I guess you could say that she was the same as any mother....well, the kind of mother who comes from a long line of draconic royalty.”

 Jesse couldn’t help but smile, already having a sense of the trusting, powerful bond between the Shimada matriarch and her two sons. “Sure sounds like a wonderful momma to me,” The cowboy commented, standing fully in the lake to rub the bar of soap over his body. Keeping a vice grip on the wax, he rubbed the bar over every inch of his limbs, in between the not-so-subtle dips of his muscles, and around the soft pouch around his belly. Still swimming, the dragon watched McCree closely, moving away to give him privacy to clean off, but keeping the right amount of distance so he could note the attractiveness of the larger man. 

 Lowering his body and lifting up handfuls of water to rinse the soap off, McCree couldn’t hold back the grin as he noticed Hanzo’s prying, observant eyes. “I see you blushing like a schoolgirl, Hanzo,” He couldn’t help but joke.

 The prince kicked water in his direction, sending him a playful-scowl as he moved back underneath the surface. The sharpshooter let out a booming laugh, the sound turning to an entranced sigh as he kept track of Hanzo’s built form gliding underneath the clear surface of the lake. 

 His gaze turned towards the sun, sitting high in the vibrant evening sky. Tomorrow, they would fly to the Deadlock Gang’s headquarters, rescue Genji, and make it out alive, hopefully. A creeping thought that sent a cold gush of fear into his whole body: what if this were to be their last peaceful evening together?

 \---

 The pair dried off and dressed once more, making the short hike back up to their camp to prepare for their hunt. To both of their relief, the sun was barely beginning her journey towards the western horizon to set. They would still have several hours before nightfall. 

 “So, where do you suggest we start?” Jesse asked the other man, not having a single clue how the most basic form of hunting worked.

 Hanzo shrugged as he pulled on his jacket, strapping a tube full of arrows across his back as he slung Stormbow over his shoulder. “Anywhere, really. All I need to do is catch any sort of scent, and we can track it from there.”

 Jesse motioned for him to lead the way, following Hanzo as they left camp from the western side, breaking away from the forest as they found a secluded trail towards the flowered hills. The tiny plants were in their brightest bloom, getting as much light and exposure to the fresh air as they could before the biting grip of fall came around.

 The cowboy took a moment to turn back, settling his eyes onto the lake. The sunlight had created a splatter of reds and purples accented with pure-gold, blotted by grayish-blue clouds. It was similar to a more vibrant version of the open sky valley he and Hanzo had flown through earlier that morning. The reflection of the setting sun and the colors upon the lake was almost like looking into a treasure chest of glittering coins and jewels. Jesse could already imagine what it would be like to live in a place like this forever. Maybe once he returned Hanzo and Genji to Japan, he would find a way back and make his own life here. “Ain’t this a sight,” He sighed to himself as the other man stopped to watch the sunset with him. “If I had the option to have a house out here over the crowded ‘safety’ of a city, I would take it in a damn heartbeat.”

 Hanzo took a deep breath of the fresh wind. “It is truly magnificent, out here,” He commented, his voice going soft as he was mesmerized by the natural beauty of the land. “A life of seclusion in a valley like this would be perfect. All alone, no worries or responsibilities…”

 The two were silent as they admired the gentle howling of the evening wind, accompanied by the goodnight tweets and chirps of birds. Both men looked up at the sudden cry of an eagle as the massive raptor beat her gigantic wings with the most gentle ease. “It’s so very...quiet, out here,” Hanzo whispered, lowering his voice as they both took note of the world around them. “We’re encompassed by a thriving land filled with animals and foliage, yet it feels as if we’re isolated, all at once.” 

 “That’s the beauty of staying out in places like this,” Jesse added, turning back to make eye-contact with Hanzo. “You’re so scared of being alone, but then you remember that mother nature’s reclaimed her world again. She’s here to protect us and her other creations, now.”

 Another bout of silence followed: in the short days that they’d known each other, the silence between their shared words wasn’t uncomfortable anymore. Rather, it was welcomed and often needed. Barely five days had passed since they first met, but both Hanzo and Jesse felt as if they had known one another for a full lifetime.

 The cowboy shivered as he wrapped his serape even tighter around his shoulders as he continued following Hanzo as the dragon caught onto the scent of nearby wildlife: the archer had found the scent of wild rabbit, and both knew that they wouldn’t have time before the animals would return to their nests for the night.

 The prince stopped Jesse suddenly with a hand planted firmly against his chest, standing perfectly still as his eyes caught onto a flash of movement. “I can see two of them, just at the edge of the forest,” The dragon whispered, crouching down towards the grass with caution as he motioned for McCree to do the same.

 Jesse glanced back and forth from where Hanzo was looking, not knowing a damn clue as to how the dragon could see the animals from this far away. “Are you sure we’re close enough? I can’t see a damned-”

 Hanzo put a hand back on his chest once more, silencing him. “Just watch. And stay silent.”

 Jesse could feel his own heartbeat throbbing in his ears as Hanzo withdrew a single arrow, keeping his balance on one knee as the knocked the weapon, drawing the string back as far as it would stretch. His massive arms and back muscles were bunched up and drawn almost painfully tight, shaped to perfection and trained for years of battle.

 Hanzo took a moment to hold his breath, taking a few seconds to observe the rabbits, waiting to see if they would move, and where…

 ...the first rabbit went down with the high-pitched whoosh of the arrow and the thud of a mortal impact. The second darted up the hill, but Hanzo angled his torso and took it down before it could make an escape. “Ho-lee shit,” Jesse laughed incredulously, amazed at his lightning-fast motor skills. He observed Hanzo with good, warm emotions rolling around in his belly: something in his core wanted the prince to always be healthy and happy, at peace with his life and surroundings. The thought was sudden, but it had been building up for so long that it was the only emotion that Jesse could express in this moment.

 The dragon turned and grinned, kicking Jesse’s intimate and warmed emotions into top gear. “I’m sure you can do the same with your pistol.”

 McCree laughed once more as Hanzo stood to collect his arrows and the fresh kill, the rider following shortly behind. “I’m sure I could, but I can tell you right now that my eyesight ain’t nearly as strong.”

 “And how do you know my eyes are stronger than yours, Jess?” Hanzo asked, taking the step to be the one using pet-names as he removed his arrows from the now-dead rabbits. 

 “I just assumed it would be. You’re a dragon, and I’m just some sad, regular-old human,” He replied, shrugging. 

 The man shook his head, placing the arrows back into their sheath as he hooked the rabbits onto his belt. “When I made the bond with you I was able to see through your eyes, Jesse. They were exactly the same as mine. Well, not as clear, but just about as close.”

 McCree only replied with a hum, suddenly remembering something as they found themselves back on the trail that had lead them to the hill. “You know, Hanzo, I’ve been meaning to ask you...when you talk about this ‘bond’ that you made with me, what exactly did you mean?”

 The dragon turned his gaze towards the darkening sky, clearing his throat before he answered the sharpshooter. “That’s...something that I’ve been meaning to speak to you about as well,” He replied softly. “You of course remember the day we first met when I was still in the cage? And then later that night, when I was speaking to you via your mind?”

 McCree nodded, his eyebrows furrowing as he wondered where this conversation...rather, confession, was headed. Hanzo pressed on. “Well, in my...time of desperation, I created a bond with you: it’s a cooperative relationship between a dragon and their rider, and it’s something I made with you because I saw trust and compassion in you. And I’ll also admit that I...never asked if you wanted this bond with me. I simply made it without your permission.”

 The cowboy was silent as he slowed down their walk, staying by the dragon’s side. So there was most definitely a reason for the mutual feelings that they both had towards one another. “Well, not asking me beforehand might not have been the best thing to do, but then again...you were in a position of desperation and you needed a way out. I’m not upset about it: if anything, creating the bond helped the both of us.”

 “Are you sure you’re not bothered by it?” The other man asked. “Because there’s a lot more to this bond than what you may think, Jesse.”

 The cowboy shrugged, smiling as he playfully bumped elbows with Hanzo. “Tell me everything that you’re comfortable with, darlin’.”

 Hanzo stopped in his tracks to look up at Jesse. “Then how much more do you want to know?”  
  
The cowboy shrugged, biting his lip as he met eyes with the dragon. “Anything you can tell me, Hanzo. Anything I may need to know about all of this.”

 Hanzo studied the ground for a bit, moving closer as he looked up at Jesse. “Well...there is the second part of the bond: allowing you to see the world in my eyes.”

 McCree’s cheeks turned pink and warm at his words, his belly floating into his throat when he felt Hanzo take his hands. “Now, I’m going to actually ask you if you want to be a part of this: do you wish to join me in the second part of this bond, Jesse McCree?”

 “I do, Hanzo Shimada.” He grinned wildly, giddy with anticipation. It felt as if he was exchanging a form of wedding vows with the dragon prince. 

 “Then look into my eyes, Jesse.” Hanzo’s dark eyes flashed that sparkling gold color as the cowboy had seen them do once before. This time, however, Jesse nearly fell over as the world around him began to spin wildly. After the movement stopped, he stared at Hanzo, who only nodded, refusing to break eye-contact. The shorter man continued the instructions. “Now, concentrate on my eyes. Try to imagine what I’m looking at, what I see.”

 The rider concentrated on the man before him, trying to imagine what Hanzo was seeing and even thinking. Without warning, his head felt as it was spinning once more, until he realized that he was looking up at himself...through Hanzo’s eyes. “I...holy shit, Hanzo!” He proclaimed, giggling like a madman as he watched himself speak. “Jesus, I told you your eyesight was better than mine.”

 Hanzo laughed alongside him, squeezing his hands. “Now, keep focusing on me: imagine yourself in my head, if you will.” The man slowly turned his head back to the forest behind him, and McCree could see everything in an almost-painful amount of detail. He could pick out every bit of foliage, along with twisted and rolling roots surrounded by patches of dry earth and scattered leaves. Together they watched birds of all sorts picking at the last few insects and berries before the night came to cover the land in shadow. Jesse let an awed gasp escape his throat as the dragon’s sight quite literally zoomed forward, shocked as he watched a deer lead her fawn towards the shore of the lake, teaching the youngling how to drink. 

 “This is...incredible, Hanzo,” He commented, gathering the amount of concentration to return his vision back to his own body. Jesse looked down at his hands, playfully shaking them as Hanzo kept a firm, but gentle grasp. The cowboy moved even closer to the prince, so close that he could smell the natural scent of the man. The lakewater and the soap they both used to clean off, his own natural musk with a hint of sweat: it surrounded Jesse in the most calming and intimate way.

 It appeared that Hanzo was moving closer as well, the two searching one another’s faces for a sign or an answer as to what was going to take place next. “Come here, Han…” Jesse whispered to him, his voice raised barely above a simple breath as he loosely snaked his arms around the other man’s narrow waist. He felt Hanzo’s own hands make their way up his shoulders, reaching up to brush past his neck and grasp a hold of his face, pulling him close.

 Hanzo Shimada had to be one of the softest kisses that Jesse had ever experienced. His lips were plush, inviting and warm, the embrace around his face was secure and safe, even more intimate and careful as he felt a thumb brush against his cheek. The emotions coming from the other man begun to bleed into McCree’s psyche, telling him that Hanzo felt the exact same way: safe, intimate, giddy...and even in love.

 The stiff hairs of Jesse’s beard scratched against his lips, but Hanzo continued on, deepening the kiss as he gently stroked the sides of the taller man's neck, letting out a long, content breath as he noted how warm his dark skin really was. His rider, his precious journey companion, was like the sun: a comforting, guiding light through the darkness, his soul blinding and bright. He felt as if he could melt into Jesse’s very core…

 ...but this wasn’t how he was supposed to feel.

 Hanzo suddenly objected to their moment, shaking his head as Jesse caught onto his distress and let go. He turned away, gently pushing the taller man at an arm’s length. “I...I’m sorry, Jesse. But I don’t think we should do this.”

 “What do you mean?” McCree asked, deeply concerned. “Is something wrong? Did I hurt you? Oh god, I’m sorry if I took this too far-”

 “You didn’t hurt me Jesse, I’m fine.” He assured him, turning his head as he pursed his lips, forcing himself to keep it together as he could still taste the taller man on his mouth. “I just...we can’t do this, Jesse. What will happen to us when I have to return to Japan?”

 Jesse’s heart dropped in his belly like a frozen stone. He didn’t like where this was going. “I thought...I thought that I would go with you, Han? We’ve travelled across the land together, we saved each other’s lives....don’t you want to continue this?”

 “Did it mean nothing to you when I created the bond without your permission?” Hanzo questioned. “Having all of this forced upon you doesn’t feel right. You’ve abandoned your home and your father all because I could get out of that cage. You don’t think that’s selfish of me?”

 “How was any of that selfish?” Jesse ask, holding back the urge to raise his voice as his heart threatened to shatter. “You may have done it at the spur of the moment but you needed to. We helped one another get out of that corrupted hell hole. They were planning on using you as a fucking...rodeo animal, Hanzo. They wanted to use you for shows and tricks, even sex. Remember how Jamison said he wanted to breed you and sell your pups for profit?”

 “You think I would forget that?” Hanzo’s voiced dropped to a hiss as he took a daring step towards the cowboy. “You think I wanted to be stuck in that filthy cage, to only be taken out so I could be fondled and tossed about like a toy? I bonded with you because I saw trust in you...but now I’ve come to the realization that I’ve dragged you into something that you couldn’t possibly comprehend.”

 They stopped bickering for a second, standing completely still as they stared at one another. Hurt and confused, but ultimately angered, he leaned forward as well, setting his voice into a grating growl as he let his rage fly. “If you really think I’m too much of a fucking idiot to accept anything that you’ve taught or shown me, then you can break this ‘bond’ and just...fucking go.” He laughed in a state of shock, standing up to his full height. “You know, maybe you’re right. If you really think I can’t handle this whole dragon-rider business, then maybe you’re more of a burden than I fucking thought.”

 For the first time in their entire journey, the silence between them was painful and cold, unbearable and unwelcome between the pair. It took only a handful of seconds before both Jesse and Hanzo both realized what each had said, and the damage that had been done. Jesse was the first to crumble, moving towards Hanzo as he shook his head as Hanzo’s steadfast composure began to finally break. 

 “Han, please, I didn’t mean-”

 “Stay away from me.” It was the only warning the cowboy needed before the dragon turned directly around and made his way back to camp. Alone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok an Actual Warning for references to some non-con stuff later on in this chapter, just a heads up!!

Jesse spent the last few hours of the evening sitting slumped on the top of the very hill he and Hanzo kissed on, shakily holding a lit (but untouched) cigar in his hand as he watched the bottom of the sun finally dip into the horizon, sinking down to make room for the moon.

He sat there and waited, waited for what seemed like hours to watch Hanzo finally leave him and fly westward on his own. To his surprise --and relief-- that didn’t happen. Instead, within the dying light, Jesse instead saw that a small campfire had been set up, and was sparkling in between the trees. For whatever reason, the dragon had chosen to stay.

The cowboy nearly jumped out of his skin as a harsh buzzing sound came from his back pocket, where his phone was. He stuck the cigar in his mouth as he leaned to the side to pull the device out, and he wasn’t surprised to see that there had been nearly four missed calls in the last two hours alone. All of them from Gabriel.

There was clearly no one around him, and with Hanzo’s mixed feelings and sudden change in behavior and emotions towards the rider, he needed a familiar and comforting voice to speak to. “Hey Gabe, it’s me, Jess-”

“Don’t try and play sweet with me right now,” The older horseman grumbled into the phone. “You’ve finally given up after two days and you want me to come and pick you up, is that it?”

McCree pinched the bridge of his nose, already not prepared for the disappointed-parent lecture that he would be getting from Gabe. “No, I haven’t, and I don’t need you to ‘come and pick me up’. I’ve just...so much has been happening since I left and...I haven’t gotten the chance to get in contact with you.”

The other end was silent for a second until a long, drawn-out sigh could be heard. “You do realize how much deep shit you’re in right now, correct?” Gabe asked, his voice lowering to a concerned whisper. “Please tell me you know this, Jess?”

“Trust me Gabe, I know,” Jesse replied. “After setting a rogue Omnic loose and running away with the dragon, I think it’s safe to assume that I’m on the Junker Queen’s shitlist. Plus, I know I’ve screwed up even worse by just...leaving you behind in the fucking dust.”

“Listen, we can talk about that later, but for now, I’m bringing you a warning,” Gabe answered, his voice wavering, yet staying strong. “You’re gonna have to be real fuckin’ careful in the next few days. Obviously, everyone here had to stop chasing you to come back and take care of things. Deadlock, however, already knows you’re coming.”

A cold weight began to slowly settle itself into Jesse’s belly. He knew it was a definite possibility, but they hadn’t even dipped into the state border. Either someone had put the pieces together and figured out they were going to get the other dragon, or Deadlock had eyes farther out than Jesse had ever imagined. “How exactly do they know?”

“I’m gonna make the assumption that they have eyes in places other than the New Mexico area,” Reyes explained. “Plus, they...shit, I don’t wanna tell you this now...but did Jamison tell you that the dragon was sent to you as a gift?”

The cold weight suddenly returned at where Gabe’s explanation was going. “Um...yeah, that’s all he mentioned. Just...Deadlock being my ‘old buddies’.”

“Then I’m just gonna lay it down flat: the dragon was sent directly from Roberto to you as some sort of present. He even had the balls to write a message explaining that they were planning on doing something else with the beast, but he thought it would say...something if he gave it to you.” The trick-rider’s voice lowered, angry and defensive for the younger man. “I guess word has gotten to him about how much you’ve grown and all that you’ve learned since you ran off, and he wants to recruit you back into the gang.”

Jesse let out a shaking breath, his mind slipping back into the cold and toxic days as he lived in the Deadlock headquarters with Roberto and the other leaders. He could only imagine a number of reasons as to why the gang leader wanted him back in his ranks; the cowboy had to admit that the elder had taught him many things, but just hearing his name put the fear of God into his heart. “You’re telling me he sent Hanzo just for...me? Why the hell would he suddenly want me back after almost twenty goddamn years?”

Gabe only sighed. “Look, Jess, you know I can’t really answer that question...there are too many possibilities and I definitely don’t want to remind you of your past. I just need you to promise that you’ll keep yourself safe. Run away and start a life with that dragon if you have to.” The added joke at the end would’ve normally turned Jesse’s frown upside down, but after the fight with Hanzo, it only made it harder to hold back tears.

“Maybe. And I’ll watch out for us, I promise,” Jesse replied as his gnawed on his bottom lip. “And Gabe...I know apologies don’t mean shit at this point, but I’m more than fucking sorry about just leaving you behind. And I swear on my fucking life that if we make it out of this alive...I will come back for you. And Queenie, and Sangria, and anyone else I’ve abandoned for no reason other than to benefit myself.”

The other end was quiet for a moment, until the man they called the Reaper finally replied with a wavering voice. “If you make it --and I know you will, you’re too damn strong and smart to fall into Roberto’s trap-- I just need to know that you’ll be safe and happy. We can discuss your other idea later, but for now...just promise me that you’ll be safe, okay, Jesse?”

The cowboy nodded, even if the older man couldn’t physically see him. “Cross my heart, ‘n hope to die, Pops.”

\---

Night had finally, fully fallen by the time the dragon rider finally made it through the security border and back to his shared camp. The fire was dying down, holding in barely enough power to give off light. The dying flames continued to flick at a skinned rabbit that was skewered over the embers. Hanzo had already eaten, but he still had a heart to leave some for McCree.

The smaller man himself stood at the very edge of their camp, pulling a drag from the last bits of a cigarette as he watched the moon’s light flicker atop the surface of the lake. “You’re back.” He commented with a flat voice, glancing at Jesse out of the corner of his eye.

“I am.” He answered matter-of-factly, turning his head downwards as he focused on the rippling embers underneath artificial logs. With the fire crackling in between them, Jesse wondered if it would be appropriate to apologize, or at least bring up what they had bickered about just a few hours beforehand. In the end, both were at fault to some degree: neither of them knew what speaking up would do to them. Would it fixed their slightly-damaged relationship, or would it only make things worse? “I didn’t know you smoked,” Jesse added, hoping to throw out anything that would start a conversation with the other man.

“Only when I’m stressed.” Another flat, simple answer. He tossed the paper stick onto the ground, stomping it out with a metal foot as Jesse removed the cooked rabbit from the fire, placing it on a metal plate as he stripped what few muscles the animal had from it’s puny bones. The other man continued to stand at the edge of the camp, contemplating something, it appeared.

As McCree finally began to pick at the oily meat, Hanzo finally turned around to head towards the tent. He stopped right before entering the door, turning around to meet eyes with the cowboy. “I’ll be keeping the bed warm for you, when you’re ready to come in,” He quietly commented.

Jesse looked up at the dragon, nodding and glancing at the ground as he realized that he was forcing himself to eat the rabbit when he wasn’t necessarily hungry. “I’ll be in there soon, Han.”

\---

Jesse watched the fire die for about another hour before the cold became too much, putting out the fire completely as he noted that he didn’t finish the wild hare; there was a chance that he could finish it in the morning, but for now he had to face Hanzo and discuss what was in store for them in their future.

He looked up and wasn’t surprised at all to see that the lantern within the tent was still glowing at a low, warm setting. What was even more fulfilling was to see Hanzo laying awake, draped in the warm glow of the light above him; as Jesse removed his boots, belt, and hat, Hanzo rolled over to look up at him. His hair was loose and fanned out, his cheeks pink and soft, and his arms opened wide, beckoning for his rider to join him in the bed. “Come here, Jess…” He whispered, the sparkle in his eyes telling him that all he wanted was the companionship and the security that came with the larger man.

The cowboy looked down for a bit before giving in, dropping to his knees and crawling over towards Hanzo. As promised, the bed was enticingly warm, and Hanzo’s body was even more warm, almost too hot. Planting his massive hands on each side of the prince’s head atop the mattress, Jesse took a moment to look down at his precious dragon. He finally moved to lay partially on top of Hanzo, shifting his arms underneath the man’s shoulders and neck, cradling his soft head as he took in a deep, content breath.

The dragon below him, with his hands delicately tracing his fingers along the dips and ridges of McCree’s solid back, smelled like cigarettes and soap, along with a hint of campfire. The cowboy wished he could simply take that scent and keep it with him forever. It was the smell of Hanzo, a smell that he would turn into a candle or incense. He would do anything to keep hints of the dragon’s spirit at his side.

“Are we...partners, Hanzo?” Jesse finally asked after several long minutes of laying in another bout comfortable silence. “We went from dragon and rider to close friends in less than a few days. You showed me your world, I told you about mine, and we...we kissed each other, up on that hill, after you let me see through your eyes.” He smiled as he finished the sentence with a giddy grin.

“I suppose we are,” Hanzo replied, grinning into Jesse’s hair as he pet the dark brown locks down.

The cowboy moved his head up, brushing his lips against Hanzo’s chin as he spoke. “You don’t sound too happy about that.”

The man below him sighed. “I am always happy when I even think about you, Jesse...but I feel as if I’m not prepared. You know of all the arranged dates and marriages that I was forced through, and none of them really stuck for me. Suddenly, I’m flying to America to find my wayward brother, I’m captured and thrown into a cage, and from that cage I lay my eyes upon a dark, beautiful man who’s full of trust and good intentions. And as I’m watching the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life, the voices of other dragons and my ancestors are telling me that you’re my true mate.”

Jesse sighed at Hanzo’s loving and honest words, moving his head forward to pepper the most intimate kisses along Hanzo’s jawline. “You know that I’m willing to take all of this as slow as you’d like. And not matter how fast or slow we may take this relationship, maybe all of this will hopefully make sense for us later on.”

“I know it will,” Hanzo replied, welcoming the kisses with a long sigh. He suddenly chuckled, catching McCree’s attention.

“What is it?” Jesse playfully asked, moving up to lean on his elbows to look down at the dragon.

“I must admit that what we are is already making sense for me as we speak, but perhaps it will all come to a conclusion after the third and final stage of the bond?” Hanzo suggested with a soft whisper, stretching his arms up to brush a piece of McCree’s hair away from his face and behind his ear.

“And what makes up the third stage, I must ask?” McCree asked, leaning down to apply another string of kisses to Hanzo’s neck, drawing a suggestive giggle out of the smaller man. He stopped once he felt a hand on his neck, moving up to look down at the dragon once more.

“Well, you know what the first two steps are, and they’re a way to see the world through one-another’s eyes,” Hanzo explained, leaning his head back as he stretched his strong arms above his head. “As a dragon and rider pair we learn to see what the other sees, how they feel, what they love and what they happen to hate...after learning close to everything about one another, then we come together to finally mate.”

Jesse didn’t think it was possible for his body to grow even warmer, but Hanzo’s words set a fire alight in his heart. He grinned, driven by love and raw excitement. “I’m guessing that means a night full of passionate and tender sex, just for us?”

Hanzo nodded, laughing as he covered up his eyes. He moved his hand away, tracing a single finger along Jesse’s sharp jawline. “I’d prefer for us to come together in the shelter of a real bedroom, but until then...know that I am ready for you, Jesse.”

Jesse couldn’t believe what Hanzo was saying, especially as he felt an empty part of his heart finally filling with the other man’s presence and trust. All those years of settling with one-night stands without any fulfilling friendships outside of the those nights had finally come to fruition with the promise of a life-long partner in the form of Hanzo Shimada; the cowboy’s booming laughed was his way of saying that he was ready for the man in his arms, the sounds turning into giggles as the archer’s similar emotions bled into him. He wrapped his massive arms around Hanzo in a tight embrace, rolling over onto his back as he held the dragon close. The prince let out a rough snort as well, his body shaking with the sounds as he held his rider close, leaving a passionate, long-lasting kiss on his lips.

\---

The rising moon made her presence clear as soon as Hanzo reached up to dim the light of the tent’s lantern. The silver light of the satellite painted their resting forms in a light-blue glow, yet even with the moon’s grace, the two couldn’t seem to fall asleep. Perhaps it was the rushing thoughts of declaring one another as lovers: more than likely, however, it was the looming reminder of what was awaiting them tomorrow. The chance of not making out of the Deadlock headquarters alive fueled fear to their already-wary nerves. The probability of conflict arising was more than none, and there was a chance of the two becoming overpowered in said conflict. They wanted to spend as much final moments together as they could.

Hanzo let out a sleepy sigh as he snuggled further into Jesse’s arms. He slowly opened his eyes, pursing his lips as he suddenly began to toy at the buttons on Jesse’s shirt. The cowboy blushed furiously as he watched Hanzo expose his solid, hairy torso. “Do you mind?” The archer whispered, looking up at the cowboy.

He shook his head, taking in a shaking breath as if to show off his body. “No, go ahead, dear...did you, want to do something?”

Hanzo smiled, shaking his head. “Not now. I just want to touch you, if that’s alright with you, love?”

The cowboy nodded, watching Hanzo move as the prince placed a gentle hand over his beating heart, moving to brush over his nipple and settle his soft palm along the thick curve of McCree’s hip. “Tell me a story, cowboy,” The archer whispered against his skin, planting the most delicate kiss upon his left breast.

“About what?” He whispered back, running his robotic hand ever so carefully over Hanzo’s hair.

The prince smiled sleepily. “Anything you can. I need something to sooth my nerves...help me sleep.”

The cowboy moved his hand to stroke his knuckles along Hanzo’s sharp cheekbones. “There’s a story my abuela told me once...about the coyote who stole the sun and the moon. I don’t remember much of the finer details, but I can sure as hell try,” Jesse began.

“In the early years of the earth, there was once a coyote who couldn’t hunt for the life of him, and an eagle who was a master predator. At this time, the world was still dark, and the coyote couldn’t hunt because he couldn’t see anything. Coyote asked Eagle if they could team up together to help with hunts. Even as a pair, Coyote caught nothing but small bugs, while Eagle feasted on rabbits.

“They decided to head west to search for the sun and the moon. After awhile they came across a group of humans who had light. They were dancing and celebrating around a fire, inviting Coyote and Eagle to join them. After the dancing was over, the humans went to bed, and so of course, Coyote had the grand idea of stealing their light --which, was the sun hidden in a box-- so that they could have a better view of the world while they were hunting. The eagle took the box holding the sun and flew off while Coyote followed.

“After travelling for a while, Coyote begged and begged Eagle to let him carry the box. When the bird finally gave in and gave him the box he flew off, and Coyote wanted to see the sun for himself. At this point, however, he didn’t realize that Eagle had also stolen the moon from the humans, placing it inside the box alongside the sun, so when he opened it, he was able to see the glorious light coming from the sun, but doing so released the moon to float away into the night sky. While the moon floated up, the air became frigid, and plants withered and died all around Coyote. In doing this, the Coyote didn’t just release the moon, but he also created the winter seasons on earth. Coyote stole the sun so he could hunt, but he ended up releasing the moon instead.” Jesse finished with a yawn, moving his hand once more to run his fingers through Hanzo’s raven locks. “And...that’s the end. Or, at least how I remember that.”

“The coyote who stole the sun,” Hanzo repeated, playing with the words as he looked into the larger man’s eyes. “I like that phrase...reminds me of you, in a sense.”

Jesse chuckled heartily. “Then are you the moon? Or the sun?”

The dragon shrugged, closing his eyes to settle down for bed. “Perhaps I am both. Or perhaps, together, we are both the sun and the moon.”

\---

_The coyote continued his sprinting against the hot sand, never tiring, never feeling feet in his paws as he followed the guiding sparrow. Even as she made her journey downwards the sun continued to beat hot rays of light on the only inhabitants of this desert, calling them towards her embrace._

_The wild dog's eyes suddenly flicked towards the sparrow as it dared to fly closer towards the ground, wingtips brushing against blades of dried grass and sending up almost minuscule clouds of dust in it's wake as it continued the bouncing, fluttering movements of a smaller creature. Suddenly, the sparrow's tiny claws reached towards the earth, growing larger in size and transforming into solid paws, the tips of it's feathers curling forwards into a set of front legs as the rest body expanded into the hefty form of a massive, white wolf._

_Worried that he would struggle to keep up with this cunning beast in his form, the coyote increased his pace onto to find his own body rising in height, the soft scraping of claws against dry dirt transforming into the satisfying sound of hooves beating into the ground. A flowing main sprouted from his back and his tail, and the horse's ginger and white spotted coat glowed vibrant under the sun, almost in competition with the glittering pelt of the wolf at his side. Now, they were more equal, more willing and wanting to work together to lead both of them towards their destination. None of them could speak, could give each other any sort of verbal signal that could say anything, but they didn't need to. The support and trust between the wolf and the stallion was real, and it was only increased as the sun grew larger on the horizon, waiting for them._

_\---_

Morning came upon Hanzo and Jesse cold and harsh, especially within the dark shadows of the temperate forest. It took several hours before the sunlight finally burned the fog off of the lake’s surface, but anything underneath the treeline was still damp with dew.

Jesse was the first to awake, but it was Hanzo who was the first to actually sit up in bed, stretching his arms and rotating his stiff neck as he turned towards the drowsy man at his side. “Wake up, Jess,” He cooed, gently patting and scratching at the cowboy’s thick tummy. “The sun is rising. We should be leaving soon.”

The sharpshooter stretched and groaned in protest, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he glanced around the tent. The bed was still toasty, and the sheets were still covered in the natural scents of both of the men who spent the night tangled in one another and the soft fabric. Hanzo quickly combed his fingers through his hair, leaving the tent first to restart the campfire. Jesse emerged from the warm shelter of the tent as soon as Hanzo began heating up the few remains of the rabbit for them to share.

“So, I’m assuming you have some sort of plan formulated?” Hanzo asked him as the cowboy buttoned up his shirt.

He froze for a moment, looking at the man in front of him. “If I’m gonna be honest with you, Hanzo, I have no idea.” He replied, rubbing his chin as he stared at the cooked meat over the flames. “Actually, I take that back. I have one, but there are several ways in which it could backfire on us.”

Hanzo studied him for a bit, taking the poker from the fire, handing it to Jesse. “If you will, could you show me the layout of the area? I only remember the interior of the garage, and they covered my cage with a canvas when they were transporting me.”

McCree dug a large square into the dirt before them, adding squares for specific buildings around a serpentine path for the winding road known as Route 66. He pointed to the largest square in the back end of the map. “The main garage --where most of Deadlock’s business took place-- is all the way back here. Most likely, this is where they kept you, and where they’re currently holding Genji. These other buildings along the way aren’t important, but there’s a chance that they’ll still be full of people, especially if the numbers of members have stayed the same or grown since I left. With that in mind, our best bet is to land somewhere near the diner down here, so it won’t appear to be a direct attack.”

“And will we eventually attack?” Hanzo asked. “Or will we be playing a game of illusions...playing something we’re not in order to appear inconspicuous?”

Jesse shrugged, nodding. “Just like at the arena, we’re probably gonna have to. Our best bet will have to play the roles of cool, collected dragon rider with his obedient animal.”

Hanzo sneered at the thought, even if it was a vital factor to their plan; Jesse sighed at his response, looking up at the archer. “Listen, Han, I’m gonna hate it as much as you will. Once we get Genji we can go and be ourselves again. It’ll only be for a little bit.”

Hanzo stood up, holding back a grunt as his knees creaked as he stared down at the sketch. “It is a necessity if we are to save my brother,” He agreed, reaching out a hand to pull McCree to his feet. The cowboy held on, moving closer to Hanzo.

Without speaking, Hanzo wrapped his arms around Jesse’s shoulders, kissing the corner of his lips as he pressed their foreheads together. “You’re shaking, dear.”

“Of course I am,” He replied, laughing at the expense of his own nerves as he forced a smile. “I’m surprised you’re not, to be quite honest.”

“I am terrified, but I don’t have as much of an attachment to these people as you do.” He responded, placing a his palm against the rider’s cheek. “I despise them for what they’ve done to my little brother and myself...but I’m more furious with myself because of what’s happened at the expense of my own foolishness.”

“You’re not a fool for everything that’s happened, Hanzo,” McCree assured him. “You’re a strong man who did what he could and took risks for his family. Anyone as strong and courageous as you would do the same.”

Hanzo closed his eyes and smiled as a thank you, pulling himself away from Jesse to start packing up their things. Together they did so in near silence, mentally preparing themselves for the possible battle that would be awaiting them.

\---

The short flight down to New Mexico was mainly silent. Hanzo was busy concentrating on the directions his rider was giving, while said rider was occupied with making sure his waves of anxiety wouldn’t throw him into another breakdown.

The name Roberto alone kept endlessly running through Jesse’s mind at a breakneck pace. It was a name that had saved him from many things, but a name that had also cursed him at the same time. Much like Reyes, Roberto made it his personal mission to take Jesse under his wing to train him as a personal apprentice. He learned most of his sharpshooting tactics from him, the ways on how to make deals and give commands like a proper gangster, and how to grow up into a toughened adult instead of a coltish young kid. In a way, it was if the leader had chosen Jesse to grow into the heir to his empire of crime when the day came.

Still, like most of the gang’s top members, Rob was a dark and deadly man; his presence alone was intimidating and ruthless, and being the leader, he had the highest body count over anyone below or beside him. Even then, what was almost worse than the amount of people he’d killed was his more...personal relationship with Jesse. In exchange from training and knowledge, the older man would often call Jesse into his bedroom to spend the night. At first, the younger cowboy was thrilled, feeling dirty and scandalous at the idea of sleeping with his superior. Still, he began to see the dark side of the head of Deadlock gang. There were nights where he was reluctant to join Roberto, or even times when he wasn’t in the mood at all; still, knowing how the gangster was, he always felt threatened and scared at what would happen to him if he spoke up and said no.

As his memories and thoughts jumbled together, he noticed Hanzo’s eyes flicking towards him as he snapped back to the path of their flight. _I hope you don’t mind my prying...but you’re more troubled about this than I had previously thought, Jesse_. The serpent commented, reaching one of his whiskers back to gently brush against his hand.

 _It’s fine, honey_ , The sharpshooter replied, turning to study the land below them. _I just had no idea that after almost twenty years it would still affect me like this. Hell, I’m surprised Rob himself is still around after all this time_.

As he finished up his sentence, the terrain below them transformed once more, this time smoothing out from jagged mountains into deep, cracked canyons. A thin, winding river snaked in between the rusty-red walls of stone, and both Hanzo and McCree were surprised to see the dying lights of campfires flickering here and there. Neither were surprised that people would take shelter within the dips and turns, but whether these fires were from wandering humans or members of Deadlock, neither dragon nor rider wanted to stay around long enough to find out.

Within the span of a few minutes, the all-too familiar settlement of Route 66 finally came into view under the harsh rays of the rising sun. Jesse immediately recognized the old, 50’s-style diner underneath the train bridge, the winding road and ancient mining tunnels broken up by the gas station and the old wild west town farther towards the main base.

 _Breathe for me, Jess_ , Hanzo reminded him, anxiously flicking his ears.

The cowboy did as he was asked, taking in a deep breath as he patted a hand on the dragon’s sturdy shoulder. _Already ahead of you, darlin’. Now, it’s time for us to get into character_.

\---

“Got any eights?”

“Nah, Go Fish.”

The newest recruit to the Deadlock Gang grunted and cursed under his breath as he grabbed a new card from the pile before him. The other one, barely two years older than himself, grinned around the smoke spilling from her mouth.

“Damn, I’ve been playing this game for years and your pile is already twice the size of-”

A blasting, trumpet-like roar caused both of the gangsters to jump out of their skin. Their stomachs both went into a painfully tight cramp as they watched a shimmering, serpentine-like beast soaring through the sky above the canyon.

“What the fuck is that thing?!” The younger fellow asked, scrambling at his belt for the pistol strapped there.

Other members began to step out from the diner and the gas station, pressing their heads against windows and spilling out of any open door. They all watched as the dragon circled lower, eventually diving underneath the train bridge and vanishing into the canyon below. Suddenly it came back up, landing directly in front of the curve in the main road. The billboard to the dragon’s left wobbled from the force of the wind coming from the serpent’s landing as the monster dug it’s glistening claws into the stone below.

It snorted and let out a few huffing pants, pawing at the ground as adrenaline continued to flood through its veins. The Western-esque rider atop its back scratched the mane sticking from its broad shoulders, attempting to sooth it. “Ea-sy!” He commanded. “Calm it down, big fella.” He cooed at the blue dragon until his attention went to the terrified recruits before him, who were both in awe at the rider, but mortified of the creature he was riding.

He tapped the spurs on his boots against the dragon’s flank twice, clicking his tongue to command it move forwards as he pulled a single cigar from his serape, lighting it as the animal lumbered towards the dusty road. Both of the teens were shaking violently. Before them was who they could only assume to be some sort of powerful King of the West, adorned in red and gold, and atop a mighty beast who could easily kill them both with a single swipe of one of its wide paws.

They decided to stare at the cowboy instead, especially as he blew out a single, solid cloud of tobacco-scented smoke. “Now, which one of y’all can tell me if Mr. Roberto O’Leary is still around?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hanzo and Jesse finally come to the rescue!

Jesse nearly choked at the sight of the young kids standing in awe before him once he was able to get a proper look at the pair. Both of them were barely teenagers, weighing next to damn near nothing with a sprinkling of acne covering both of their soft faces. They were almost like how he was when he first joined: he wondered how long they had been here, and how long they would last before they were either arrested, killed, or kicked out for one reason or another.

“He’s...uuhh...i-in the g-garage,” one of them muttered, their voice cracking almost comically. The child glanced at Hanzo for a second, shivering as he turned back up to McCree. “In his office, I think...where he always is, these days.”

The charming cowboy tipped his hat to them, kicking Hanzo’s ribs once more to get the dragon moving. As soon as he passed the gas station, others poked their heads out, hiding behind the fuel pumps, muttering at the fantastical pair.

“Is that a dragon?”

“More important question: is that Jesse McCree? I thought he died twenty years ago…”

“Well, it sure as hell looks like he managed to survive.”

 _These people must know you...or, at least of you_. Hanzo asked, hissing at those who dared to get too close to him.

 _Some obviously do, but I think most of that knowledge is built on old wives tales_ , McCree replied, steering Hanzo through the first tunnel and towards the old ghost mining town in front of the main garage.

More cowhands joined those who followed the dragon and rider pair from within the ancient, Old West-esque buildings. Hanzo continued to lumber on, holding his head low to the ground in a menacing manner, while Jesse held his high and proud. With his head especially raised, he could see how wary the other Deadlock members were, in a state of confused unease as they moved their hands over their respective weapons. Not a single pair of eyes were taken off of Jesse and Hanzo as they finally made it to the garage.

Roberto himself stepped out into the blaring, early-morning sunlight as Jesse climbed down from Hanzo’s back. He forced himself to hold back a terrified burst of bile at the sight of the scrawny man’s worn, mustachioed face. “Well, look at my little cowboy, all grown up!” The head of the gang announced, throwing his arms out wide as he pulled Jesse into a firm hug. The dragon rider winced at the pet name and the sudden physical contact, but he kept his outward composure all-together. “Looks like you finally made use of the gift I sent ya, eh?” Rob asked, nodding towards Hanzo.

Jesse turned back to Hanzo, scratching the dragon underneath his night-black beard. “Yeah, he sure is something else, I’ll tell ya,” He explained. “Got me to here from northwestern Texas in less than two days.”

The older man grinned. His combed-back hair was flecked with more gray and white, and his sharp beard and gelled, curled mustache still managed to keep their darker color. “Well, it’s been about twenty years since you...ran off,” He lowered his voice as he responded, covering up the fact that McCree had been thrown out after losing his arm. “Still, that was the past. Come inside for a little chat, eh? I got something special to show ya.”

Before turning around, he waved his hand towards some lackeys who stood awkwardly behind him. “Take McCree’s dragon and put it underneath that archway,” Roberto explained, pointing to a natural stone arch next to the smaller garage entrance. “Bring some fresh water, too. My boy and I have some things we need to discuss.”

The dragon rider looked back at Hanzo as the dragon lead himself to the patch of shade. _Good luck, Jesse_ , Hanzo whispered through their minds as he flopped down into the dirt. _I’ll be using your eyes to find Genji. If you can, look around the area he’s in so I can find a way in and out_.

 _Sounds good_ , He replied, following Roberto into the one place he never thought he’d see again.

\---

The garage was in pretty much the same condition it had always been, even all those years ago. From an outsider’s point-of-view, it was simply a dark shipping dock full of semi-trucks, trailers of various sizes, and smaller storage chambers with offices and rec rooms towards the back.

To someone who once ran with the Deadlock gang for almost a full year, however, this large room was the main hub for some of the most dangerous trade deals in the western world. It was where almost every other criminal and gang leader got their drugs, weapons, and any other paraphernalia.

And of course, among the trailers and crates and vehicles, was the sole reason himself and Hanzo where here in the first place.

The grass-green dragon within the cage awoke with a snort, flopping his legs as he clumsily rolled over at a familiar scent. _HANZO?!_ He cried mentally, turning his groggy head towards the source. _Anija, where are you?_

There was no reply except for the sound of two humans approaching the cage. “A beauty, ain’t it?” The older man commented, pointing towards the now-standing dragon.

The younger man, wrapped in a red cape with a large hat atop his head, glanced at the dragon’s eyes as he fake-nodded. “He is,” Was all he said, looking around the dragon and any doorway or hall around his cage.

Genji flared his nostrils. Something about these two told him that they knew his brother's whereabouts, or at least had a hand in his disappearance. He never trusted the one they referred to as Roberto. This...cowboy, however, had a different feel to him. Something about his presence was trustworthy and brave, a man who had made mistakes, but only wanted to do what his heart told him was the right thing. Normally, catching the older dragon’s scent on this man would have set Genji on edge. With what he could tell, however, the scent of Hanzo on this man wasn’t bad: if anything, it told him that they had become a mated pair, or they had at least spent enough time together to build a trustworthy bond. _Oh Anija, you dirty dog_. He grinned, pacing along the cage even though it was clear that his brother couldn’t hear him from within the shelter of the garage. He paced along the bars, watching the two men as they continued to converse.

Roberto suddenly lead the cowboy away, continuing to talk about something as they moved away from Genji’s cage. In desperation, Genji poked his snout through the bars, huffing and whining as he reached a paw towards their backs, hoping to catch the scent of the older dragon one more time. _Hanzo please! Tell me where you are, get me out of here-_

\---

 _I can hear you Genji_ , Hanzo whispered, concentrating to keep his second spirit resting underneath the archway as he slipped into his human body, casually moving into the first doorway he saw. _Stay right where you are, I’m coming to get you_.

He entered through an open stairwell, slinking up the first flight as he came face-to-face with an open doorway and a shocked Deadlock member. The man couldn’t say anything as before Hanzo had him in a chokehold, dragging him away as he passed-out from the lack of oxygen.

With the lackey hidden out of sight, Hanzo went back to the doorway he found earlier, nearly jumping out of his skin as the bond with his little brother was strengthened at the sight of the emerald-green serpent. Relief flooded his heart as the younger Shimada met his eyes. _Genji!_ He gasped, ducking back into the doorway as more members shuffled past, laughing aloud at something. _Are you okay? And do you have your pearl?_

 _Yes, I still kept it with me, brother_ , The younger dragon replied. _And I’m fine, don’t worry about me...what happened to you? Where did they take you?_

 _I can tell you later_ , The elder Shimada replied as he stole the unconscious gangster’s hat and gun belt as he took another quick glimpse around the garage. Aside from some flickering lights, a radio playing off in another room, and the obnoxious paintings along the sides of trailers, there was nothing to raise a red flag for the man. In his cage, Genji attempted to keep his behavior on the down-low. Unfortunately, the sight of his brother caused him to shiver violently.

Hanzo approached the bars of the cage, noting how similar it was to his own, back at the Red Sun. If it was really the same, he knew that there would only be two ways to open it: either he could attempt to find the key to the smaller door, or it would have to be broken open. _Do you have your things?_ He asked Genji. _A bag or something? Once I figure out how to get this open, we’re going to have to grab everything and run_.

 _I saw them throw my backpack into that room over there_ , Genji replied, pressing his forehead against the bars. Hanzo looked to the left of the cage, checking the area around them once again. Still, no one was watching this complete stranger talking to the green dragon. The unease of the side-room being empty almost overpowered the relief of finding the other prince. Where the hell was everyone?

Hanzo moved away then, peeking his head into the brightly-lit storage room, searching until he found the familiar bag, stuck with patches of various rock bands. He slung it over his shoulder, returning to the cage that held his little brother. Sweat began to spring on his temples from everything going on: the violent, tense excitement from his younger sibling, the fear of being caught and outnumbered, the effort it took to keep his spirit-form solid and visible outside of the garage, and the tense emotions he was receiving from Jesse. Surprisingly, even within his stressed body, he began to formulate an idea. _Listen to me, Genji_ , He explained, reaching his hand through the bars of the cage to touch the top of the dragon’s nose. _I have an idea on how to get you out...but it’s not going to be very subtle._

\---

“Big storm comin’ in,” Roberto commented as he stood at the wide window from his office. Angry, dark blue clouds had slowly darkened the sky since they arrived, and it almost seemed as if they moved faster as Jesse slumped down into one of the older chairs before the older man’s desk. He looked around the room, coming to the realization that the old office looked almost exactly the way it had on his first day within the gang’s ranks: rusty-orange walls stripped of peeling wallpaper, furniture that had to be hundreds of years old (even if it was of the finest tastes), portraits and paintings of Deadlock leaders, cowboys, and gangsters who had come before them, and the stuffed heads of poached animals scattered in between the photographs.

The room even smelled like Roberto always had; cigars, old-fashioned cologne, and the scent of a snake, if there were such a thing.

“Now, Jamison’s report tells me that you and your dragon caused a bit of a ruckus back at the arena?” Roberto continued when Jesse chose to stay silent. The old man leaned against a dresser behind him, crossing his tattooed arms over his chest. “You caused property damage and got rid of your fame all so you could leave...but why did you? You had everything there: the fans loved you, you were given shelter and a guaranteed-job, and it looks like Gabe’s cooking plumped you up nicely. You’re most certainly not the scrawny punk who came in here looking for easy cash.”

The cowboy blushed at the observation, hating how easily he was reminded of the extra fat atop his body. “Yeah, well, Gabe taught me how to cook my own food and live like an adult...he practically raised me as his own.” ‘More than you ever did’ he almost added, holding back the comment. “I was living there, but I was just miserable.”

“And what made it so miserable for you?”

Jesse grinned, chuckling softly as he shook his head. “Oh you know: doing the same job every damn day under the watchful eye of someone at least ten years younger than me, having no other options and no other place to go --especially thanks to my mother going back to Mexico and never speaking to me again-- and realizing that it’s maybe, just maybe, a little screwed up that we’re brainwashing Omnics and kidnapping dragons for our entertainment. Broncos and cattle are one thing...but there were a lot of things happening under that roof that shouldn't have happened.”

Roberto studied him under his sharp, ice-blue eyes. “You rode Ollie for years. You rode that dragon I gave you all the way to here-”

“And for what? A borderline-decent paycheck to spend on liquor, cigarillos, and shitty food stockpiled from abandoned supermarkets?” The younger cowboy questioned, leaning forward. “At that point I was starting to suggest that you somehow knew I was miserable and you sent me that dragon to get my attention, or something.”

The older man shrugged, a smug grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Looks like it worked, eh?”

McCree leaned back, crossing his his arms over his broad chest as he chewed on his bottom lip. “So if that’s your intention, what exactly do you want from me?”

“For you to come back into our ranks,” Roberto explained. “You had potential, but you were a bit too young. Coltish, cocky, the usual. But now, look at ya: a sharpshooting, commanding, dragon-riding cowboy. Having you here would be a great asset to our business, and as I’ve been growing older, I’m coming to realize that I’ll need to pick out an heir to my...empire, soon enough.”

The rider said nothing as he stood up to his full height, locking eyes with his ex-boss. He wasn’t much taller than Roberto, but he was still huge; his hefty bulk and spurred-boots only added to his impressive size. “Joining this damned gang took my mother away from me, got me in enough trouble that a damn bounty was nearly put on my head, and put me in a situation where I actually lost my fucking arm.” He flexed the mechanical fingers as he took a threatening step towards the Deadlock leader. “I wouldn't come back even if hell froze over.”

The old man clicked his tongue and shook his head, either to reprimand Jesse for his poor choice, or to keep him from moving any closer: more than likely, he was signaling to both. “Foolish little brat. Probably just like your daddy, eh?”

“You didn’t know my father,” McCree growled, taking another step forward, ready to swing if he was tempted once more.

Rob angled his jaw, thinking as he sneered up at his old apprentice. “Neither did you, honey. Just like everyone else in this gang, he’s either dead or run-off somewhere,” He stood up to his full height, preparing himself if the cowboy were to attack. “Gives you all the more reason to become one of us again-”

A multitude of alarms blared off, causing both men to nearly jump out of their own skin. The sound of thunder rolling in was only an added bonus to their nerves, along with the voices of Deadlock members coming from the main garage and outside of Roberto’s window. _I have him_ , Hanzo panted in Jesse’s mind. _Genji’s out of the cage, but we’re trapped_.

“What the fuck is that…” Roberto mumbled, shoving past McCree to pull up the security cameras on his computer. “SON OF A BITCH!” He barked as he glanced at the empty cage and the two serpents making a break for the main doors. The boss cocked his pistol as he dashed past Jesse.

The younger man had no other choice to follow, nearly crashing into younger gang members as he observed the situation in the main area: Genji’s cage in the garage was empty, and he watched as handles of Deadlock members scrambled towards the main doors. _Hanzo, fly! Take your brother and get away from here_ , Jesse commanded as he exited the building from a side-door rather than the main entrance, where the confrontation was taking place. Just past the main doors, the two dragons faced off against a large group of Deadlock members who were too young and scared to understand what their plan of action was. The older beast hissed and swiped his paws at anyone who dared approach him and his younger sibling. Genji, in a state of shock, did what he could by simply baring his teeth while lashing his tail back and forth.

 _I refuse to leave you behind, Jesse!_ Hanzo argued. As soon as he spoke through their connection, Genji took a daring leap over a handful of cowboys. They fired their pistols at them, somehow managing to miss the dragon as he escaped. A shotgun shell, however, exploded across the back of his thigh in a spray of smoke and steaming, golden blood. The serpent screeched, his youthful voice filled with raw fear and a white-hot pain as he collapsed past the crowd.

“Genji!” Hanzo roared aloud as the green dragon struggled to his feet, limping towards the cliff edge before him. “Fly away! We’ll find you!”

McCree watched in awe as the other dragon managed to take off, even as blood dripped from his ankle. His attention was turned back to Hanzo, who was surrounded by even more wranglers, now armed with lassos and even bigger guns. By this time the storm clouds had finally arrived and had burst, causing a warm rain to shower everyone. A puddle instantly formed at Hanzo’s feet, and the massive beast cautiously stepped away from the water.

 _Jesse, I need you to find higher ground immediately_ , Hanzo warned as the Deadlock gang moved in closer.

The dragon rider began to step away, hoping Roberto wouldn’t notice his movements. _Isn’t that the last thing you do during a storm?_

 _Do as I say_ , Hanzo commanded, fluffing up his drenched-mane and flaring his nostrils, either making himself appear larger, or preparing for something daring. _I don’t want you near me when he strikes_.

Unless the dragon was referring to himself, Jesse didn’t want to know who “he” was. Nonetheless, he made a break for the now-empty garage, pulling himself upstairs and towards the rickety, wooden bridge above the main entryway. The cowboy peeked his head out of the doors, watching as sparks began to flicker across Hanzo’s scales.

Then, in a blinding flash and a burst of sound that made Jesse physically dizzy, a bolt of lightning struck the dragon.His eyes glowed almost-white in a ferocious and deadly rage as strings of light danced all over his energized body. Without warning, he reared his head back and jumped forwards, releasing a blast of pure energy from his jaws that completely obliterated anyone in the light’s path.

The youngest of recruits finally listened to their instincts and bolted away from the beast as fast as they could. Jesse stumbled onto the bridge underneath the relentless downpour, the rain coming down even harder than it had earlier. “Hanzo!” Jesse called as more gunshots rang around the still-glowing dragon, who had blown away more and more gangsters with the light beams he let out.

As if on queue, Jesse heard the dragon’s heavy paws rumbling across the now-muddy terrain, the light around his body finally dying out. The rider looked down to see the beast making his way underneath the bridge and towards the cliff where Genji had taken off from. ‘Jump now, Jesse!’ The dragon exclaimed, only slowing down to allow for his mate to aim his landing.

McCree’s heart dropped in his chest, and the next few seconds rolled by in slow motion as he dropped down onto the rising form of the blue dragon. Jesse landed hard enough on the saddle to knock the wind out of him, along with a shockwave of pain to blossom in his hips and stomach. Ignoring most of the pain, he held onto Hanzo’s mane and neck with all of the might he could muster.

More gunshots rang out from behind them as the dragon soared higher into the sky. The storm above them raged on, even as Hanzo finally spotted a flash of green before them, barely making it above the clouds. “Genji!” He cried out. “Wait for us!”

An orange-spotted tail whipped just above Hanzo’s head: the older serpent looked up to see Genji struggling to fly, but hovering above him nonetheless. Jesse followed the older dragon’s eyes, suddenly grunting at the white-hot pain bursting from his left shoulder; he looked down to see blood pouring from a gunshot wound, his shirt sleeve already soaked as the fluids bled into his robotic arm.

 _Your cowboy’s bleeding_ , Genji said as he struggled to fly through the turbulent and infuriated storm clouds.

The older Shimada reached his whiskers back to touch Jesse’s weakened form. _Jesse my love, stay awake. We’ll land somewhere safe, soon_.

The dragon rider was no violently shivering; the combination the cold rain, the shock of his wound as he continued to lose blood, and the nerves of confronting his old boss finally hit him in a wave of emotions as his body cooled down from the adrenaline high. He leaned forward, barely keeping a grip as he pressed his face into Hanzo’s wet fur. _I just...hope I can stay awake until then, Han....baby…_.

_Don’t you dare even joke about…_

Hanzo couldn’t even finish his sentence before Jesse’s world went completely black.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hanzo, Genji, and McCree are finally young, wild, and free.

The next few hours were in and out for Jesse.

His first time awakening was in a small nest of dry grasses, his arm aching from the snug bandage wrapped around the wound. The brothers, in their dragon forms, lashed out at one another, growling and hissing in the form of an argument.

“...and of all things you broke mother’s heart by running off like a bratty child instead of speaking to her about-”

Genji --who had been working on pulling the shotgun shrapnel from his thigh-- swung his head around, snapping his teeth to face the older prince. “And what would I have talked to her about? That I find it pointless for me to stay while you go ahead and rise to a throne that means nothing to us anymore?”

Hanzo hissed, firmly pressing his forehead against Genji’s as if he was going to head-butt the other dragon. “The throne may not be worth anything but we still have the duty to be the representatives of our family, brother. And with father dying so suddenly we also have the duty to support her as she was there to support us…”

Jesse fell asleep again.

\---

He awoke once more in the dead of night, feeling warm and comfortable as he came to his senses. A campfire crackled to life in front of him while a hefty form supported him from behind.

Hanzo muttered something as the cowboy came around, a cigarette hanging from his lips as the smaller human gingerly removed the bandages from the cowboy’s shoulder. “I need to get the bullet out, at least,” He commented to Genji.

“Won’t that only make it worse?” The other dragon asked, his ribs rumbling in a comforting manner against Jesse’s back.

“There is a chance it may bleed more, but I want to avoid infection,” Hanzo replied. “Though, it’s not actively bleeding now...I think he should be okay.”

“I’ll be fine, Han,” Jesse muttered through a dry mouth, his body still weak and exhausted from the morning’s events.

The older Shimada removed the smoke from his mouth, gently pushing the sweat-soaked hair from Jesse’s head. “You’ve lost a lot of blood, but you’ve made it this far. I’m just hoping you’ll be alert and awake by tomorrow.”

“Oh, you know I will,” The rider replied, mentally preparing himself as Hanzo showed him the tweezers he was planning on using to remove the bullet: the older man had been smart enough to pack a first aid kit, and it was certainly proving to be of service, even if it took up extra room in his bag. McCree dug his teeth into one of his leather gloves and pressed his heels into the ground as Hanzo began to pull the bullet from his shoulder. The bone-deep ache spread towards the left side of his neck and even trickled into the nerves within his synthetic arm: he had to glance down and remind himself that the limb was still there, that it wasn’t torn to shit like it had been twenty years ago.

With a sickeningly-wet sound the bullet was finally removed, along with a soft splash of rotted blood and other mystery fluids. Hanzo covered up his nose and pressed a towel against the hole immediately, applying enough pressure until the blood stopped flowing and he could add a fresh bandage.

Sore and exhausted, but ultimately grateful, Jesse studied Hanzo’s face as the prince wrapped his shoulder up, pulling his serape around him to make sure he was warm and comfortable. The cigarette told him that his partner was stressed beyond anything, but the concern in his dark eyes was that of pure, unfiltered love. “I can’t thank you enough for cleaning me up like this, honey...I didn’t know you could dress a wound like that.”

“To be honest, I didn't either,” Hanzo replied, sitting next to McCree as he cleaned his hands on another towel, tossing his unfinished cigarette into the fire. “I simply did what I could to clean the wound...I knew that if I removed the bullet, you might be better off, especially considering what little supplies we have left.”

Jesse moved his body to the best of his abilities, stiff and sore all over from not moving at all in the last few hours. He groaned at the ache, but he knew that he would pull through and recover. Genji rested his head on his paws, breathing in a deep sigh. The cowboy looked at the resting dragon, then down at his own lover. “I’ll be fine, but I just have one question for the both of you.”

Hanzo looked up at him, and Genji opened a single eye. “What was up with that storm?” McCree asked.

Genji smirked, and Hanzo chuckled with leftover excitement. “There’s a chance it was the spirit of our father, Sojiro, coming from the heavens to save his cubs,” The older dragon explained, moving to look at his brother. “Or, at least to give us the power and energy we would’ve needed to escape.”

Jesse went quiet once more, contemplating Hanzo’s response. Even after a dragon died, could their spirit really still be that powerful? “Huh,” Was his only comment, suddenly overcome with even more exhaustion, if that was even possible. Besides, he knew that he didn’t need to ask anymore questions. Instead, he leaned against Genji’s flank to look at Hanzo, softly reaching for his hand. The other man took it, leaning down to kiss the metal appendage as to not move the cowboy’s shoulder too much.

Jesse smiled weakly, even through the pain. The trio stared at the fire in silence for quite some time before Genji finally spoke up. “Well...what are we to do now?”

Hanzo leaned back and closed his eyes. “We’re going home and we’re taking Jesse with us...if that’s what he wants,” He added, opening his eyes to glance towards the man at his side.

Jesse nodded, turning to press a kiss into Hanzo’s hair. “There’s nothing left for me here, and we’ve already gotten this far...I might as well, if you’ll welcome me into your home…”

“Plus, Mom’s going to want to meet your new boyfriend,” Genji joked, reaching his tail around to playfully slap Hanzo’s side. The older man pushed the tail away, laughing with his brother.

McCree giggled with them, blushing at the idea of being referred to as Hanzo’s “boyfriend”. Seeing the two brothers finally back to playing around with one another filled his body with warmth. He felt even more content at being welcomed into the world of the dragon’s with Hanzo at his side...forever.

\---

Hours before dawn, they took off towards the Californian coast, choosing to travel at night instead of waiting for the morning. As Gabriel had warned him --and as Jesse knew from personal experience-- Deadlock had eyes and ears everywhere. It would be smart of them to take the time to rest, but it would be even smarter if they were to cover more distance in the few hours of darkness they had left.

High in the mostly-cloudless sky, the dragon brothers soared amongst the cold wind, the sparse clouds, and a glowing moon. Save for the soft roar of wind in their ears, it was dead silent; Jesse straightened his back from being curled over Hanzo’s saddle to turn towards the satellite. “I never thought I’d get to see her up close like this,” He whispered, mostly to himself, even as Genji glanced his way, and Hanzo only huffed in agreement.

Like the dragon brothers, he was more than eager to get to a safer place where they could all rest easy without having to watch one-another’s backs, but until then, even soaring like this was a moment of bliss. Over the course of less than a week, so much --no, too much-- had happened to all of them. Jesse, Hanzo, and even Genji had both seen hell and lived it, but now it was almost like that suffering was worth it, if not for this moment of peace.

The Shimada brothers were free from the hands of poachers, free to take to the skies and join the spirits of their ancestors and fellow dragons. Meanwhile, the infamous rodeo-rider McCree had broken the endless cycle of his life at the arena, and although he was gone and he had no plans of returning for any reason other than to save Gabriel, he still knew that the events he had experienced and the people who shaped him into the person he had become would never be forgotten.

Even more incredible was the idea that he had met his soulmate thanks to this wild mess: in a sick and almost twisted way, perhaps Genji and Hanzo being kidnapped by Deadlock was something set up by the gods of fate and destiny above. Jesse would never want to look at their experience here to be something that needed to happen, but the cowboy couldn’t think of any other way that these events would have taken place.

He told himself to stop thinking too deep about it, turning his head towards the left to focus on the distant lights of a sparkling city: Los Angeles, most likely. Even if it wasn’t LA, a major city like this was a sign that they were at least covering distance quickly, and something in Jesse’s heart told him that they would make it to the coast soon.

Looking back at the moon, at Genji, and then finally, at the magnificent dragon he was riding, Jesse finally spoke the four words he had been holding back for days: _I love you, Hanzo_.

Through their bond, he could feel the dragon’s heart jump at the words, warmth filling his body. _I love you too, Jesse_.

\---

After landing only a few hours before the dawn, they set up a quick camp along the cliffsides of the Western coastline, taking advantage of their proximity to the ocean as well as the dark shelter of the temperate forests to hide and sleep for a few hours.

Jesse stood up from the tent, stretching his arms as slowly and cautiously as he could as Hanzo watched him while frying fish over the morning fire. “Don’t do anything too drastic. I don’t want to see that wound open up again.”

The cowboy nodded. “Honey, you know I’ll be careful,” He replied, carefully snaking his metal hand through the sleeve of his blood-stiffened shirt, wiggling the fingers towards the other man. “Plus it hurts if I even think about it.”

In a gush of wind, Genji suddenly landed behind Hanzo with a mouthful of even more fish. All of them had already eaten breakfast, but it was apparent that Genji had missed the thrill of the hunt, just as Hanzo did when he caught the wild burro.

The dragon dropped them next to the fire as he shifted into his human form, drying off his body with a towel as he dug through his bag to pull out dry clothes; this was also when Jesse realized that this was the first time he had seen Genji not as a dragon, but as a human man. As expected, he looked just like his older brother; he was the same height as Hanzo, but his muscles were more defined and sharp: he even had a similar tattoo of a dragon on his right arm, but his mark was a grey-green, adorned with pastel-pink flowers. His face was still soft and baby-like, with the tips of his short hair a light blonde shade, apparently from when he had dyed his hair green, as he explained to McCree earlier when they had all worked to set up the camp.

“Genji, we’ve each already had two,” Hanzo argued, removing the current fish off of the fire to roast a second one. “I hope you know that you’re carrying the leftovers on the way home.”

The younger man shrugged, pulling a light shirt over his head. “It’s a road trip snack for me, then. If you and Jesse don’t want any, I can keep some to myself.”

The two brother’s playfully bickered as Jesse turned away to leave the camp, trudging through dry grass to stand before the cliff side, gazing over the ocean. The jagged cliff was steep and threatening, even though the wind coming from the sheer drop was humid, smelling of salt as it picked up sprays of water from the roaring hum of the waves. As Jesse took in a deep breath, he began to only imagine how long he could stay in this area for...maybe sleep in, waste away a few more hours within the security border with the sound of waves, wind, and sea birds to comfort them. In reality, he knew that they would have to get moving soon.

The blue expanse before him seemed endless. If there really was land on the other side, he couldn’t be so sure. He could only rely on the trust of his companions, especially since this was a journey that they had made before. Even with the two dragons at his side, however, he still felt as if he was blindly travelling into some unknown beyond. Japan was alien to him, but to Hanzo and Genji, it was their home, and if families of dragons were able to stay hidden from the human eye for this long, then it would be safe and secure for the cowboy, as well.

Dry grass crunching underfoot from behind the tall man ended his quiet thinking. The dragon rider turned to see Hanzo wading through the brush. “Genji’s gotten mostly everything packed, as well as your belongings,” Hanzo explained. “The weather seems clear, so we can only guess as to how long it’s going to take.” The prince stood next to him, gently rubbing a hand on his lower back as he looked up at his partner. “Are you sure you wish to come with us?” The dragon asked, searching McCree’s eyes for an honest answer.

McCree could only shrug, reaching for the hand on his back as he took it, lacing their fingers together. “I’m more than sure about this, Hanzo, especially now that I have more than one reason to leave here.”

Hanzo smirked, placing his other hand on his rider’s thick stomach as he stood up to kiss Jesse, only laughing into his mouth when an annoyed voice called to them from the treeline.

“Come on, lovebirds!” Genji called from their now-empty camp as Hanzo and Jesse ignored him, continuing their short little kiss. “We don’t have time to get a room, let’s get moving!”

\---

As a child, McCree had visited the beach a few times in his life; before every summer, his parents would save up a handful of cash to take the road trip to the California coastline, packing everything they needed into their truck to spend the week at a hotel near the beach. There, little Jesse would spend the entire day under the dry, hot sun: swimming in the waves, digging and building shapes and structures into the sand, chasing gulls and crabs, and eventually just napping on a towel while his mom and dad read books or simply talked with one another. Even in his later teen years, in between the death of his father and his initiation into Deadlock, he played on the shore until he was exhausted. At the end of each day, underneath in a fiery sunset, he and his mother would cool off by collecting shells until the stars began to glisten in the night sky.

The warming memories lead Jesse to admit that he really did love the beach...but that was as far as he’d ever really gotten. Despite the fact that he was safely atop a dragon’s back, the idea of flying thousands of feet over the deep expanse of blue, he wasn’t so sure how he felt about the ocean. A few birds soared and dove for fish within the waves, and at one point he could’ve sworn that he spotted a dolphin or two coming up for air. Besides those sightings, there was almost nothing out there.

Suddenly, Genji dove underneath Hanzo, twisting and swirling his body around the older dragon and the cowboy. He eventually moved to flip upside-down above Hanzo and Jesse, flying at the same speed that his older sibling was keeping. McCree couldn’t help but smile at the playful sight, reaching up his one hand to brush his gloved fingers against the younger prince’s flowing mane. “Come on brother, you know I could always beat you in a race!” The green dragon bragged, rolling his body to soar alongside the other serpent.

Genji finished another twist before gaining a burst of speed to jump ahead of Hanzo. Saying nothing, the blue dragon sped up and reaching forward to grab his brother’s tail, chuckling as Jesse tensed his muscles at their increasing speed. “Hey, fellas! Remember that I’m still hanging on here, please!”

“You’ll learn to get used to even greater speeds when you’re with me, Jesse,” Hanzo egged on, glancing over his shoulder at the nervous cowboy. “Why don’t we start now?”

The cowboy swallowed nervously, securing his hat and tightening his grip on the handles of the fine saddle. “Well, if you say so, Han,” He added, securing everything on himself that he could, glancing down to make sure the saddle was still snug around Hanzo’s middle. “Plus, it might get us to Japan-”

Without warning, Hanzo burst far ahead of Genji, his body rolling and turning in the wind as he angled his head towards the ocean level. The dragon was flying fast enough that even the highest-reaching waves broke out in a wake from Hanzo’s speed, like some sort of flying speedboat. Sea water sprayed everywhere as Genji attempted to catch up to the older beast, moving over McCree to Hanzo’s left...and then his right...and back to his left again.

The rider pulled back on the handles and angled his body back, mentally directing Hanzo to soar higher and higher towards the clouds. As expected, Genji followed, exerting most of his energy to catch up with the pair. He sped ahead of them, the wind whipping his fur and tail like a living flag.

By this point Jesse had to lower his body against the saddle, nearly burying his face into Hanzo’s fur as the blue serpent began to catch up to Genji. Both of them had to be flying at more than one-hundred miles per hour. Even as they continued on their direct path, they dove and chased one-another in between clouds, diving back down to race along the ocean’s surface. Surprisingly, even with the long stretches of incredible speeds with short bursts of turning, diving, and chasing, Jesse didn’t feel sick or scared at all: in fact, he was energetic and empowered, rooting for both of them as the brothers raced neck and neck towards their homeland.

\---

“I see it! I see land!” Genji suddenly cried out only a few hours later.

It seemed like McCree had really underestimated the dragon’s speed; while it had taken them two days to reach Deadlock, the brother’s race shortened their journey to less than a few hours. Their excitement and eagerness to return home may have helped as well.

Hanzo was silent, yet alert as the trio slowed their speed, watching the approaching land grow wider. Besides the scent of the sea around him, he could definitely smell home. The bustling cities, the silent countryside, the general feeling of protection and belonging: the fear of being lost and afraid was gone and behind him now.

Jesse was also quiet as the land defined itself even more: sparkling cities lined by dark forests and colorful beaches sprung up, meekly shielding the jagged towers of mountains behind them. The cowboy took a deep breath of the fresh air. This was a new land, a new day...a new life.

 _Are you afraid, Jesse?_ Hanzo asked as the brothers moved higher into the sky to avoid the reaching heights of skyscrapers.

 _I’m more excited than anything, but...I have to say that I am...but just a little bit_ , He admitted, even if some of the landscape looked similar. _I’ve never left America in my life_.

 _You’ll fit in just fine here!_ Genji added, apparently listening into their conversation. He followed Hanzo as they moved even higher towards the clouds. Their current trajectory was a small town underneath a looming volcano.

McCree took a moment to focus his eyes through Hanzo’s as the dragon kept his field of vision on a singular tower in the near distance: a ragged, faded fish kite wriggled in the wind above the red-tiled roof, and both Genji and Hanzo purred aloud at the sight.

“Is that where you live?” The cowboy asked over the rushing wind towards his dragon, trying to get a better look with his own human eyes.

“Not exactly,” He explained. “It’s more of a...landing pad for us, if you will. With humans still about, it’s the only way for us to get into the castle while the sun is still in the sky.”

Jesse didn’t have any more time to ask further questions before the two serpents suddenly took a dive towards the tower. Genji was the first to land, his claws sliding and scraping along the shingles as he angled his body to slither into a larger window on one side of the tower. Hanzo landed with the same amount of grace, taking a moment to wrap his tail around the kite’s pole as he planned the angle he would have to move at, now that he had a companion sitting atop his back.

“I can climb down first if you need-” McCree was about to ask before Hanzo suddenly began to move backwards, carefully holding his back end over the edge as he dug his claws from the edge of the roof and into the side of the tower. Jesse leaned as far forward as he could, wrapping his arms around Hanzo’s neck and holding on for dear life as the dragon finally got a grip on the windowsill and moved inwards, joining his brother.

The room within was massive and arid, mostly silent save for the dragon’s labored panting echoing within the walls. Inside, the tower was surprisingly massive, built to house a dragon at least twice the size of Hanzo...or maybe even two larger dragons, or more.

Both and Hanzo and Genji shifted into their human forms as soon as McCree was off of the saddle, the brothers sitting on the floor to gather their bearings as the cowboy shook out his legs, taking a moment to walk around to get rid of the tensions caused by the wide saddle. After sometime Jesse joined them on the floor, stretching out his shoulders as he looked around the inside of the tower once again. There were only two windows in this tower, but from the light coming from one of them, he could guess that they still had a few hours before sunset: either they had passed through a time-change, or the dragon’s could fly faster than Jesse could ever have imagined.

He jumped slightly when a hand suddenly reached in front of his face. McCree looked up to see Genji reaching towards him, shouldering his backpack over his arm. “I’m ready to go home when you are, cowboy.”

Jesse took his hand and stood, noting that Hanzo already had both of their bags and was standing near an open door that lead to several flights of stairs:their way out of the tower. The cowboy took a deep breath as he threw his own bag over his non-injured shoulder, taking Hanzo’s hand in his other one, letting Genji lead the way. A quick squeeze was the only thing his partner gave him as they made their way out of the darkened, dusty tower.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Shimada boys are finally reunited with their mother and McCree makes an important decision.

The three men finally exited the tower via a heavy metal door located at the base, leading them into a dark and practically-hidden alleyway. Absolutely nothing else was in here, and it seemed that none of the humans milling about on the street before them cared to pay any mind to the shadow-covered side-street: they instead milled about, browsing the town’s open marketplace and visiting the various restaurants and shops along the packed street. No one even seemed to be looking in the general direction of the tower, even if two massive spirit dragons had landed on the roof, eventually emerging as humans.

“How did nobody see us?” Jesse had to ask, taking Hanzo’s hand once more as they made their way closer towards the crowd.

“There’s a protection spell in the sky that dips towards the tower,” Hanzo explained in a hushed voice, his lips barely moving as he moved closer to the cowboy to speak to him more easily. “If we stay above a certain height, no one can see us. No one will be able to notice until we leave from that metal door at the base.”

“So _now_ we’re visible to everyone on the street?” McCree added.

Genji turned around, attempting to keep the cowboy’s concerns down to a minimum. “We are right now, but there’s no need to worry. If you’re concerned about us being able to blend in, we’ll be just fine.”

The younger Shimada lead the way as they made their way to the open street. Similar to salmon making their way upstream, the trio headed up a short hill and around a corner where a row of market stalls, run by humans and Omnics alike, were open and selling their wares: fresh produce and other foods, handmade crafts, tourist-esque gifts, and anything one could find in the common, public market.

“Ahh, there she is!” Genji exclaimed quietly, pointing to the last stall on the farthest left of the row. Jesse raised his head to get a better view, and noted who the younger man was pointing to: a booth filled with knives and other weapons of various sizes and builds. Behind the counter was an impossibly-older woman, making sure her wares were in perfect order as she arranged them in an appropriate pattern on the table before her.

“Knives, daggers, swords, any sort of blade you can think of!” She explained in English to a group of curious tourists who had begun to move towards her booth, most of them already filtering out as they found out how expensive some of the older weapons were. After the crowd around her finally began to thin out, the woman looked up at the two princes and the cowboy. “Now, what can I do for you three-” she stopped suddenly, her jaw dropping in disbelief as she looked at the brothers. “Now what in the hell happened to you two?! Where have you been?” She questioned in Japanese, reverting back to her native language as she stared at the brothers and the cowboy approaching her tent.

Even though her words were harsh, she stepped around the table to hug the both of them, patting their faces like an old, long-forgotten family member. “It feels like you’ve been gone forever. Your mother’s been worried sick about all of this, I hope you know.”

Hanzo nodded, lowering his eyes in shame. “Of course she would, and I don’t blame her at all for being angry at us.”

The woman patted his cheek gently, understanding his regret. Her eyes then turned to Jesse, who was still awkwardly hanging back behind Hanzo. “Now, who’s this brightly-decorated young man? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you two bring him home before,” she laughed as she reverted back to English, waving her hands as she joked with the boys.

Genji chuckled, blushing with Hanzo at her playful comment as the cowboy removed his hat to greet her.

“The name’s Jesse McCree,” He replied, shaking her firm, rough hand. “I...met Hanzo and Genji all the way out in Western Texas, and we helped each other get out of there.”

The old woman nodded. “You can call me Hinata. I helped Hiroe raise the boys, back when the castle was in its glory days,” Her voice lowered as she lead them behind her tent and up to a smooth, wooden door. Jesse looked up to see that the wooden door was attached to an even larger wooden gate, two swirling, interlocked dragons carved into the dark surface, watching over the marketplace below them. The many tents and booths were a stark contrast to the bright wood above them, and it didn’t take McCree very long to realize that the marketplace was obviously serving as a protective barrier in between the world of dragons and humans. “The Shimada Clan has had to keep themselves on the downlow these days, so we’ve all been working hard to keep the castle out of human hands.”

The cowboy nodded, assuming that everyone who worked in these stalls had a connection to Hanzo and Genji’s family. Jesse was sure that the remnants of the Shimada clan could hold down the fort if needed, but it was reassuring to know that most of the people in the stalls were using their businesses as a distraction from the massive castle on the edge of the cliff. Not to mention, seeing a colorful, independent market surrounded by bright, modern businesses was a comforting sight on its own. It  was familiar, coming from someone like Jesse, who had spent many summer days perusing Mexican markets with his grandparents as a child.

Hinata pulled Jesse aside as Genji opened the wooden door slowly and quietly, her voice still low as the brothers stood waiting for the American to follow them. “Now, Mr. McCree, you seem like a very mature and trustworthy young man, but as the last housekeeper I must reinstate the fact that a human like yourself hasn’t stepped foot in this castle in nearly one hundred years,” she explained with a firm, yet gentle hand on his shoulder. “That being said, I will be watching from afar just to make sure you only have good intentions. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” McCree responded, taking Hanzo’s hand as they stepped through and closed the door behind them.

\---

Stepping into the main garden of the Shimada castle was almost like stepping into another world. Completely separate and guarded off from the rest of the city, tiny birds fluttered by, chirping and calling to others as the soft howling of wind carried their songs and soothed Jesse’s anxious nerves as the brothers suddenly stopped in their tracks once they began to approach a structure housing a giant, golden bell....and something else.

“Is that…” Jesse began to whisper mostly to himself, staring in awe as the massive, curled mass of glittering scales wrapped around the bell itself shifted and twitched at the sound of his words. With a neary silent slithering sound, the scales uncoiled into a massive dragon, pulling itself upwards on long, silver talons.

The dragon’s head emerged from the shadows, ears flicking back and nostrils flaring as its eyes darted past Hanzo and Genji and made direct contact with the cowboy standing with them. Rose-gold antlers and a heavy black mane glistened in the sunlight as the emerald beast slinked forwards with hostility at the intrusion of a human man.

Immediately, Hanzo and Genji came to the rescue, standing in front of Jesse as they waved their arms and called out their mother’s name to distract her. The dragon’s demeanor changed in a heartbeat, looking down at her cubs as she shifted into her human body and sprinted down the steps of the dojo, tears brimming at her eyes as she crashed into Genji and Hanzo, holding onto both of them. Jesse continued to watch with relief as she spoke to them in Japanese, touching their faces to make sure they were real, alive and well as they stood before her.

The men nodded and stood before her, responding to her scolding, yet loving words. Finally, she turned to face the cowboy, wiping her cheeks and standing strong and proud in front of her children. “And who is this?” She asked Hanzo, turning her head slightly towards her eldest, her eyes moving to study the sharpshooter’s form.

“Mother, this is Jesse McCree,” he explained. “He helped Genji and myself escape America. We can trust him, he’s a good man.”

Hanzo’s face turned pink as Jesse grinned at him before removing his hat to bow his head to the regal woman. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said. “Your sons have told me so much about you and your family.”

She smiled, shaking his hand firmly. “I bet they did. Still, I cannot thank you enough for helping them.”

He chuckled, moving towards Hanzo once she let go of him to hold his mate’s hand. “Trust me, they helped me just as much as I helped them.”

The Shimada matriarch nodded, turning back around to look back at her children, then to McCree. “Well, you can call me Hiroe, Jesse. I wish I could show you around our home, but I’d like for you to drop your things off in your rooms...and I’d like to have a talk with my sons before we have dinner, if you don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” He replied, nodding.

\---

While the brothers had a more personal, private talk with their mother in her old office, McCree wandered the household for a bit, dropping off his things in Hanzo’s room (Hanzo had the foresight to give him accurate directions) while he studied a hallway of photographs. In the few hours since they had landed, the sun had begun its descent towards the horizon, painting the surrounding gardens and smaller buildings in shades of dark red. For a castle that had apparently been around for thousands of years, it was holding up very well, seemingly as if it were built just yesterday.

Down one hallway, Jesse ran into Hanzo who had just emerged from his mother’s office, his face red and wet from crying. It was clear that he was exhausted, mentally and physically, but relieved to be home.

“Ahh...there you are,” he said to Jesse, grinning despite the fatigue.

“You alright, dear?” The cowboy asked, holding his warm face with the palm of his right hand.

“I’ll be fine,” Hanzo replied, placing a hand on McCree’s back to lead him back towards the other end of the hallway. “We were just...discussing several things and events leading up to what’s happened to us...but we’re home and okay now, so it’s all about seeing what the future will have for us.”

“That’s good,” Jesse responded, sending a warm smile to his lover.

The prince took a deep breath, patting his back as he lead McCree back into the main temple, the family crest and the mural of the two dragon brothers watching over the pair. “It will be some time before dinner, and Mom’s obviously still speaking with Genji...would you like a tour?” He stuck out his elbow, motioning for McCree to loop his hands around his thick biceps.

“Such a gentlemen,” The sharpshooter chuckled, letting Hanzo lead him into a hallway decorated with even more photographs depicting the Shimada Clan’s history. There, Jesse studied framed photos depicting their rich past, their businesses, and their involvement with other dragon clans across the globe.

Jesse stopped to look at one simply dated from the early 1930s: a younger Hiroe as a human, adorned in a bomber jacket and goggles atop the saddle of a massive dragon, saluting the photographer down below. Directly to the right was another portrait of Hanzo’s father, Sojiro, petting Hiroe’s snout and grinning with pride, wearing his own set of riding goggles and gear.

“So...from what I can see, the whole dragon-rider relationship isn’t just exclusive to dragons and humans only?” McCree asked, his eyes roaming around to study the other pictures.

Hanzo shook his head. “It became a custom after humans began to spread out and we learned to take their forms. It’s an easier way to be inconspicuous, and also a way to strengthen the bond between a mated pair; plus, it makes transportation easier and more interesting.”

The cowboy thought out his next sentence for a bit before turning towards the shorter man. “It’s just different to me because I usually always see animal-rider cases as...strange. Especially ours, since you and your family aren’t necessarily...animals.”

“How is it strange?” Hanzo questioned.

The taller man let out a small laugh, shrugging. “Well, animals are a lot smarter than we think they are, and while a human can form an intelligent and important bond with a beast, humans tend to use animals to their own advantage, even if the person in question is working just as hard as the animal.” He moved away from the portraits now to give the older prince his utmost attention. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I find our bond even stranger to me because you’re not an animal, Han: not only are you intelligent and sentient, as you should normally be, but you also possess the body of a man...a handsome and courageous man, at that, I have to add.”

Hanzo chuckled at his compliment and shook his head, leading him further down the wall of images to stop at a larger frame: his mother wrapped around a soft, bed-like nest, a warm and secure shelter that held the shimmering eggs containing Hanzo and Genji, the young parent waiting the usual one-hundred years for her children to hatch.

“Jesse, I’ve told you before that what we have is much different than that,” He began to explain, taking both of the rider’s hands in his own. “There’s no need to worry, love. This bond that we’ve created can be much more than just a rider and beast relationship: we’ve already established ourselves as a mated pair, but oftentimes dragons and their riders can choose to be best friends, adopted family, maybe even simply colleagues...or it can be something stronger.”

McCree’s heart pounded, his belly warming from the mixture of Hanzo’s words and his hands playfully holding onto his own. Combined with their personal solitude in this warmly-lit hallway, the cowboy was suddenly hit with an almost-reckless idea, a last minute thought that tightened his throat with an excited nervousness for the future that awaited them. The excitement that was suddenly rushing through his veins told him everything he needed to know, giving him the courage to take both of his hands and hold Hanzo’s left in his own as he finally dropped to one knee, not breaking eye contact with his partner as he moved.

"If that’s the case, Hanzo...I want to make you my husband,” He explained, holding back a flood of loving tears as he spilled his guts to the one person he saw everything that he wanted and needed in. A wave of emotion and realization for their passionate love causing him to spill out a string of words that were almost poetic in nature. “I know this is very sudden since we’ve only known one another for a little more than a few days...but I want you to be my soulmate, my lover, my best friend...I want to treat you like a king and see the whole world with you. If I’m the sun then you are my moon and I want to spend the rest of our lives in the stars with you. I obviously don’t have a ring to give you right now but...will you take my hand, Hanzo?”

Hanzo covered his mouth with one hand, his face going red as the tears rushed from his eyes. He said nothing, but Jesse could read from his emotions that he was repeating the same words in his mind towards his cowboy. They hadn’t completed the third step to their bond, but in this moment, the prince could feel their relationship meeting its peak.

“Yes, yes I will, Jesse,” He grinned, his voice wobbling as McCree’s scruffy mouth kissed his knuckles.

\---

After a small dinner with Hiroe, Hinata, and Genji to celebrate the boy’s homecoming and Hanzo and Jesse’s sudden, but welcome engagement, Jesse found himself on one of the stone terraces towards the back of the castle, over the sheer cliff that displayed the city below and the snow-topped mountain beyond. Taking in the night air, he slowly stretched his stiff arm --which was almost completely healed-- and removed the last cigarillo from his pocket, almost laughing at the fact that it had survived their perilous journey.

The click and flare of his lighter was familiar in the silence surrounding the castle, the sounds of cars and machinery and other city life only a distant echo from where he was. As he took in the first taste of smoke and processed his current situation, he realized that he finally felt comfortable and content, happy with where he was in life.

Being with Gabe at the Red Sun was obviously his main source of contentment in the life he lead at the time, but now he was free, no longer working a job where he could be killed in front of an audience or by anyone else wandering the American west. Even now, so far away from the place he called home, living in an unfamiliar land with a royal family of dragons, he was finally comfortable and safe.

Even as he sensed Genji approaching him from behind, he didn’t jump into defense-mode as the younger man stood next to him, letting out a long cloud of smoke as the dragon stood to his right, watching the city next to his soon-to-be brother-in-law.

“Do you miss your home?” The younger Shimada asked, sticking his own cigarette to his lips as McCree handed him his lighter.

The cowboy shook his head, glancing up at the waning moon. “A part of me does miss the few places I actually felt comfortable living in...but a part of me also knows I’ll have a much better chance if I go somewhere far, far away. Maybe not forever, but at least enough time for me to plan out my own life.” He took another puff, huffing out rings that dissipated before him. “I will eventually go back to get my dad out of there and maybe even reconnect with some old friends, but for now, I’m pretty content with what I have.”

“Well, if you’re looking for a place that’s far away, safe and secluded from anyone else, there are plenty of places for people like us,” Genji explained, observing him from the corner of his eye. “Especially places for you and Hanzo to go and be alone together, if you two choose to take that path.”

“Hanzo told me he was technically the heir to your father’s throne,” McCree suddenly blurted. “Doesn’t he have to stay here to fulfill that role?”

The younger prince chuckled, flicking the ashes out of his cigarette. “Technically, by tradition, he would, but considering that most of our family is either dead or spread out, it’s more of a figurehead title. If he wanted to he would take ownership of the house from our mother and simply...live here; nothing more, nothing less.” He explained. “Plus, this place has served as a sacred place for dragons from all over to rest and stay if needed, so I guess he would be an overseer for duties like that. Then again, it’s for Hanzo to decide if he actually wants to become the _Oyabun_ or not.”

McCree nodded sincerely. “That’s very true.”

The two then stood in silence, finishing off their smokes as they watched the city continue to glitter and flicker in the humid air. Gradually, lights began to shut off one-by-one as the residents of Hanamura hunkered down for the night, and just thinking of climbing into a warm, dry bed was making Jesse’s eyelids feel heavy.

Genji suddenly cleared his throat, tossing his smoke on the ground to stomp it out, picking it back up so he could dispose of it later. “By the way, Jesse, Hanzo’s waiting for you in his room,” he added, raising his eyebrows and winking playfully. “I think it’s where you put your own bags, but in case you lose your way, it’s in the upper level, near the western wing of the castle.”

The cowboy’s heart took a quick leap in his chest as his stomach tightened with excitement; he knew _exactly_   what Genji meant, ready to make a break for Hanzo’s room and treat the dragon to the best night he could give him. Still, as ready as he was, he couldn’t help but jump again when he felt the smaller man clap a hand on his shoulder.

“Before you go, I think you know that I’m going to give you the obligatory younger brother talk.”

McCree nodded, giving Genji his full attention. “I’m listening.”

“Good,” Genji added, taking his hand away to casually shove both of them in his pockets. “I’ve seen how close you two are, I can see that much just from the way you two look at each other. The bond that you have is inseparable, so that much is very clear. You both are already engaged and you’ll become a part of this family, so know that if you need any help, you are always welcome here.”

Jesse nodded, urging him to continue. “That being said, I don’t think any of us have sensed any particularly-harmful intentions coming from you, but know that if you do _anything_ to harm him, you will be facing consequences from myself, my mother, and anyone else who has connections to this family.” The younger man studied him. “I hate that I sound like I’m threatening you, but Hanzo has had his heart broken more times than I can count, and both Hiroe and I can’t bear to see it happen one more time.”

The larger man wasn’t threatened at all. He knew where Genji was coming from, and only imagining what Hanzo had been through only made him more determined to keep the older prince happy and comfortable. “I completely understand. He’s told me a few of the things that he’s dealt with, and you can trust me not to harm a single hair on his head.”

Genji nodded, jerking his head towards the Western wing of the sprawling castle. “Now go on, don’t keep your man waiting!”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now, I present to you the finale of this story as the heroes complete their journey in the sluttiest way possible via form of what's probably the LONGEST chapter I wrote for this story :3c enjoy!!

Jesse took a deep breath, steadying himself as he stopped at the door leading to Hanzo’s room, gently knocking with the back of his hand as his heart pounded with an anxious anticipation.

“Come in.” A single voice replied, muffled by the heavy wood.

McCree pushed the heavy door to the side, immediately stopping himself as his eyes laid themselves on the sight before them. Almost struck by the other man’s beauty, he leaned against the frame as he looked at Hanzo, fully-naked and sitting up on the massive bed before him. His lover held his knees close to his chest, thick hair loose from the golden ribbon he always wore as the heavy strands of night-black locks draped over his shoulders. The smaller man picked at his blunt nails, wringing his fingers together as he finally raised his head to make eye-contact with Jesse.

Even as they faced one another, the two of them were silent for some time, nervously glancing around the room, waiting for the other to say or do something to break the ice: Jesse took that quiet moment to study the decently-sized space that Hanzo called his own. From what he could see, the older Shimada brother wasn’t one to have a room filled with decorations and accessories. Like most of the rooms and halls around the compound, there were a few photographs and antique weapons hanging on the walls, but for the most part, it was clear that the dragon preferred to keep a minimalist feel to his bedroom. Still, the space he was about to enter told him nothing about Hanzo’s seemingly skittish behavior.

“Are you alright there, Han?” The rider asked, crossing his arms over his chest, turning his head in a puppy-like manner. “You don’t look very comfortable.”

His partner took a deep breath. “Well, you can probably guess as to why I beckoned for you to come up here.” A smile pulled at his lips as he explained himself, causing Jesse to grin and blush in response as a youthful laugh escaped from Hanzo’s mouth. “Before we...begin, however, I must inform you of something about myself.”

“Go on, baby,” McCree encouraged him, holding back every ounce of his body from simply leaping onto the bed to hold Hanzo close and pepper him in kisses.

“This may be a personal question for you, but...what kind of partners have you had in the past?”

Jesse took a moment to think, attempting to wrap his mind around what the other man was trying to ask him. “As in romantic? Sexual?”

“As in...where they male or female? Or did any of them hold their identity to a different part of the spectrum?” Hanzo put it bluntly, tilting his head downwards for a brief moment.

“Oh. Well, uhh...I’ve been with all kinds of different folks, if I’ll be honest,” Jesse replied. “I fooled around with girls  _ and _ boys back when I was in highschool and when I joined Deadlock...even a few folks who were neither or in between, or both.” The cowboy looked up at him again. “You know you can tell me anything, Hanzo, and if you think what you were born with is ‘different’, you know I would accept it and I wouldn’t blink an eye. No matter who you are or who you want to be, I’ll always love you and want to treat you just right.”

The prince looked up at the larger man. If the cowboy was willing to accept him so easily, then he didn’t feel the need to explain himself unless Jesse was confused or uncomfortable. Already he had accepted the fact that the older Shimada brother was a dragon who could take on the form of a man, and at this point, their relationship had been built on taking chances with the idea of a bond backed up by an intense sense of trust. Knowing that he was always safe around Jesse, and without saying another word, Hanzo threw back the covers and opened his legs wide for the man in his doorway to get a sneak peak.

The sight was something he had seen once or twice before, but not in a context like this. Even before their journey began, Jesse had seen Hanzo naked in his cage, naked when he bathed in the river at their first camp, and naked again when they bathed together at the lake. Of course, he didn’t take any note of what Hanzo really looked like, especially considering that it was never any of his business, and it wasn’t necessary. Yet, he couldn’t help but grow...mesmerized by the sight. Hanzo’s soft, open cunt was almost glowing in the moonlight filtering in from his window. The soft lips of his labia were blooming like a flower, his T-cock peeking from its hood as his hole softly gaped before him. The dragon was already somewhat prepared as well, it seemed. The skin underneath his pubic hair was dark and ruddy, and a pale, glistening fluid stuck to his skin, dripping out of him as he shifted himself on the bed.

“Oh, Hanzo,” Jesse muttered at the sight, absolutely in love with the man before him. His belly grew tight and hot, and he let out a slow breath.

Hanzo grinned in relief, his own face and body heating up with that same trust and adoration as he beckoned for his rider to come forward and join him in bed.

Jesse said nothing at first, playing along with the other man as he turned his gaze to the floor, pretending to contemplate his actions. Suddenly, he looked back to Hanzo, his excited, booming laughter filling the room as he ran forwards and jumped into the bed. Hanzo let loose a flurry of chuckles with him, placing his hands on either side of the sharpshooter’s head to pull him closer as their lips crashed with a praising and heated passion.

McCree stayed there on his hands and knees to kiss his prince in return, angling his head and pushing forwards just a bit as he tasted every inch of Hanzo’s soft lips, moaning into his mouth. “Mmm...tell me what you want from me, honey,” He mumbled, continuing his movements to settle himself further in between the archer’s legs.

Hanzo replied in breathy whimpers as his hands moved downwards to fumble at Jesse’s chest, attempting to open the buttons of his shirt. His lover aided him in his actions, opening his shirt to show the dragon his thick, hair-covered torso. Still dressed, the cowboy pulled the dragon fully down onto the bed, laying between his legs and pressing their bare chests together as he continued to kiss the elder Shimada.

It was sensual, warm, and perfect, the room harboring only the sounds of their kisses and light panting as the pair held one another into a snug embrace. Jesse huffed hot air against Hanzo’s neck as he sucked a hickey behind the dragon’s earlobe, his voice rumbling in his chest as he moved his mouth downwards over his partner’s body suckling and tasting every inch of skin that he could reach. The man below him sighed at the contact, his metal feet curling towards the mattress and shifting impatiently around Jesse as the cowboy kissed down against his breasts, lips dancing over the scars under the heavy muscles of his chest, his ribs, his thick stomach, moving past his belly button and gracing his teeth over his hips. Suddenly, the cowboy stopped and looked up at him, sitting back onto his knees as he rubbed the insides of Hanzo’s thighs.

God, from Hanzo’s view, Jesse was quite a sight to see: with his shirt open, chubby chest and belly warm and red, the larger man panting already, and the cock starting to form a dent in his jeans, Hanzo couldn’t help but sigh and giggle at his lover. He wanted to say so much, to spill out everything, but he was so enamored by Jesse that the words were caught on his tongue.  _ IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouyou’resoimportanttomeyour’remyeverythingIneedyouIwantyou _ , the dragon suddenly blurted out in his head, the one way of communicating he and Jesse hadn’t used since they arrived.

The cowboy smiled, almost breaking out into tears at his words, sending everything back and more as he bit his lip, eyes travelling down to Hanzo’s cunt, then back up to his face. “You know, I have to ask you, Han...you wouldn’t mind if I had a taste of that sweet little peach of yours?”

For a moment the dragon wasn’t sure what he meant until he caught his mate licking his lips, glancing down at the sight between Hanzo’s legs. The prince gasped and lay back, making himself comfortable as his heartbeat raced in his chest. He stretched his massive arms over his head, nodding in Jesse’s direction. “You may.”

McCree’s cock twitched in his pants at the permission as he finally leaned down, taking his time by kissing the inside of Hanzo’s legs as a teasing start, his beard and hot breath tickling the archer’s skin. Hanzo bit his lip as the sharpshooter’s mouth moved farther downwards, almost too slow, so close to where he really needed him, yet still so far away. Once Jesse finally reached the area where Hanzo’s thigh met his hip, he stopped to suckle another dark hickey, causing the prince to nearly kick his leg in impatience.

“I’m almost there, babydoll...don’t worry, I know what you need,” Jesse assured him, lowering farther onto his knees to push Hanzo’s legs back for better access. “Is this comfortable for you?”

Hanzo grinned, nodding as he kept a firm grip on the backs of his knees and took in a shivering breath. “Yes, I’m fine, Jesse.”

The cowboy chuckled, taking that as his cue to finally get to work on his lover. The first slow drag of his tongue drew a strangled gasp from Hanzo’s lips. McCree hummed in response, relishing in the taste of his mate. His cunt was hot and softer than anything he’d ever tasted, more slick dripping out as the cowboy did wonders on the prince with his tongue. The rider worked every single inch that he could with a delicate precision, sucking on the labia with his lips, reaching inwards to flick at the inner folds, before finally moving up to wrap his mouth around Hanzo’s T-cock.

“ _Oh!_ ” The archer exclaimed, letting go of his knees to grasp at the bedsheets below him. “Oh, Jesse...oh, this is amazing…” The cowboy suckled and shifted his lips noisily around the short member before turning the angle of his body, slicking up a finger with his own saliva as he rubbed the labia before daring to stick the tip of the thick digit into Hanzo.

“Is this okay?” He stopped working to ask quietly, looking up as he held the finger against the dragon’s molten-hot hole.

“Yes, oh, baby...keep going, please!” The archer practically begged, shifting his legs open as far as he could without straining his body as the rider got back to work, wiggling and curling his finger against the tight muscles surrounding it as he went back to eating him out at the same time. By God, McCree sure did know what he was doing. The man was almost too good, too skilled with his mouth and his hands, and too charming and respectful both inside and outside of the bedroom for Hanzo to even comprehend, especially as he was practically falling apart in the most loving way possible.

The cowboy glanced up at his panting chest as he added a second finger, the dragon’s face pink and glistening with the finest layer of sweat as Jesse’s tongue swirled around the stiff bundle of nerves. Hanzo rested his feet gently upon McCree’s shoulders as the rider removed his poking fingers to wrap his own arms around the smaller man’s legs, planting both hands on his quivering stomach, allowing his fingers to gently massage into the layer of fat over his abdomen.

The prince finally began to whimper then, reaching to hold onto Jesse hand’s as his stomach muscles began to heave. “I’m close, love, I’m so close!” Hanzo gasped, keeping a shaking deathgrip on his hands as his climax reached him quicker than it ever had before. He moved their hands downwards, pressing McCree’s arms against the bed on either side of his hips as he kept a deathgrip on his wrists. The rider took this as a signal to move his mouth with even more pressure, wiggling his tongue into the other man’s hole, kissing and pressing his lips on every surface available to him. Hanzo began to squirm and moan even louder now, digging his heels into McCree’s shoulder, mumbling a string of loving words --both within his mind and out loud-- as his orgasm finally hit him.

The dragon curled his belly and lurched forwards as the finale hit him like a truck, his moans escalating into exasperated yelling as an abundance of fluids  _ squirted _ from his body, soaking both the bed below him and the face of the lover who continued to hold his mouth against his cunt, his mouth and beard soaked with the thin liquid as his muffled moans vibrated against Hanzo’s body.

Moving gingerly, the cowboy put Hanzo’s legs down, crawling back up towards him on shaking arms. His cock was absolutely  _ throbbing _ within the confines of his jeans, begging to be let out as it’s owner looked down at the man underneath him. The dragon was still a panting, shaking mess, his arms laying loosely over his torso as he opened his dark, heavy-lidded eyes to Jesse. “You have something on here,” He chuckled, biting his bottom lip as he referenced the droplet of come stuck on Jesse’s chin.

Without breaking eye-contact, Jesse dragged his fingers across the dampened skin, picking up the larger drop and placing it on his tongue, sucking on the digit for a moment before swallowing the metallic taste of the dragon’s love, his eyes closing as his body begged for more contact with Hanzo.

“How do you feel?” McCree whispered, leaning as close as he could to Hanzo without putting too much pressure on his still-sensitive body. He reached up, rubbing away sweat and a few tears off of Hanzo’s cheeks with his clean, metallic hand, seemingly falling into love with him more and more as he studied his face.

“Incredible,” Hanzo replied, turning his head to kiss the silver palm, breathing against the synthetic nerves. He kept a grip on the appendage, stroking the top of Jesse’s hand with a shaking thumb as he turned his attention back to his partner. “That mouth of yours is quite talented, Jesse.”

That exact mouth he was speaking of broke out into a giddy, lovestruck grin as McCree pressed their foreheads together. “No need to flatter me, Han...but I’ll thank you for the compliment, anyways.” He kissed the archer for what felt like the hundredth time that night, the only difference being the leftover taste of Hanzo’s slick mixing with the natural taste of the smaller man and sending a reminding ache down to the area below his belt. “Now, I’m not entirely sure what you have planned for us next, but I do have a little friend of mine who would like to say ‘Hello’.”

Hanzo couldn’t hold back the barking laughed that escaped him, slowly blinking up at Jesse as he rubbed his hands along the man’s thick arms. “Oh, is that so?” He asked, playing along as he gently pushed Jesse back so he could have room to sit up, allowing the sharpshooter to sit back on his knees again. “Why don’t you introduce us, then?”

Just for Hanzo, McCree held back his impatient tendency to simply shuck off his pants and whip out his cock, choosing instead to put on a little show for the man. He angled and shifted his hips, flashing the golden buckle upon his belt as he pulled the clasp from the worn leather. Finally, he pushed his jeans over the heavy mound of his ass, grasping the member through the thin fabric of his boxers. Jesse noted Hanzo licking his lips, his eyes flashing up as if to beg him to continue; granting his wish, he pulled down the elastic band, wrapping a hand around the hot skin as he finally pulled his cock free from the confines of his clothes.

Hanzo said nothing as he finally got a view of it, his jaw dropping in admiration and awe. It was heavy and _huge_ , a dark, ruddy-brown dick nestled in a tangled patch of hair below the cowboy’s soft stomach, thick veins trapped underneath Jesse’s fingers as he kept a powerful grasp. “My...I should’ve known something as impressive as this was attached to the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on,” Hanzo complimented, planting supportive hands over his mate’s thighs.

Jesse let out a slow breath, the heat from his cheeks burning his ears at the dragon’s loving response, looking down at Hanzo as he squeezed his hand around the hot member. He wasn’t able to let any words out as the other man’s hands moved from his thighs and travelled upwards, his head turning from the cowboy’s sweating face to the very tip of his manhood.  _ Go ahead, darlin’ _ , McCree responded mentally, crystal clear through their link.

The man sitting before him started by gently cupping his heavy balls, tracing his fingers over the coarse hair and tough skin, his palm slipping over Jesse’s hand as he weighed the cock within his own grasp. “You know, Jesse, normally I’d love to see what your little friend here could do for me,” Hanzo explained himself lustfully, pulling Jesse’s hand away from his own manhood and taking it upon himself to pull the thick foreskin away from the dark head. “But now....I think I have a different idea, if you’re up to it?”

“What is that?” McCree asked, huffing out a shaking breath at the sight and sensation of Hanzo casually playing with his cock.

The archer didn’t speak as he moved to his shaking knees to loosely wrap his arms around Jesse’s solid middle, pressing a hot, moaning kiss into his mouth. He smiled against his lips as he felt his lover’s arms settled atop his shoulders, turning to suck little hickies into his rider’s neck, breathing against his skin as he whispered little words directly into his ear. “Why don’t you take all your clothes off, and I’ll show you?”

“Sounds mighty fine to me already, darlin’,” McCree replied, watching Hanzo crawl off of the bed, taking a moment to carefully shake out his sore legs as the cowboy finally tossed all of his clothes haphazardly onto the floor.

Jesse watched in awe as his dragon dug through the top drawer of a short dresser directly across from his bed, his love-struck brain struggling to remind him that this wasn’t some sort of perfect dream that he was experiencing. He had to remind himself even more as Hanzo turned around with a bottle of lube in one hand and a fairly-large strap-on in the other, the tattooed man biting his lower lip as he studied the American laying sprawled across his bed.

“You always ride me when we are dragon and rider,” Hanzo explained, tossing the bottle onto the bed beside Jesse as he pulled the toy up and around his hips, shivering for a moment as the harness made contact with his still-sensitive cunt. “And if you’re comfortable with this idea, then I’d like to continue that pattern.”

McCree swallowed as he stared at the rubber piece, his belly warming even more and his dick twitching as he looked up at Hanzo with the dildo strapped to his waist. “Oh, Hanzo...yes...I’m more than okay with this.”

\---

Once Jesse was opened-up properly --with Hanzo’s loving help, of course-- the cowboy sat crouched above his partner’s belly, testing the weight and density of the dildo in the palm of his hand. He kept his eyes locked onto the other man, taking a deep breath as he finally pressed it against his soft, dripping hole.

“Oohh... _oh fuck_ ,” McCree huffed in reaction to the burning sensation, carefully settling down on his knees to lean back for a more comfortable angle. He allowed gravity to work with him, pulling down his weight as the toy moved into him, inch by inch. He hadn’t done something like this in far too long, and the rider couldn’t help but pant at the impossible stretch. The pressure was strong, and looking down at the sweaty man below him, watching Jesse settle down, the mere thought of Hanzo being so fucking deep in him sent a fluttering of quick beats into his heart, his eyes closing as he began to pant wetly.

“Are you okay, love?” Hanzo asked him, moaning at the sight above him as he pressed soothing hands up and down his thighs.

“I’m fine, just let me breathe here for a second,” He gasped, shivering as he pressed his hands against Hanzo’s chest. Finally, the man gained the courage to lean forwards, only to sit back and relish in the dildo sliding back up into his body. Oh, it hurt at first, but it was a blissful pain that he could feel into his belly, his lower back, and his legs all at once, the first roll of his hips only giving him a taste of what he had missed. “Okay...I think I’ve got this now.”

He could almost feel Hanzo’s eyes locking onto him as he rolled, bounced, and pushed his body back onto the toy, laughing in glee as the archer’s arms wrapped around his waist, moving his own body in-tune with the cowboy’s.

“Just like that, Jess...there you go…” Hanzo purred, whimpering and arching his back as the base of the strap-on rubbed against his T-cock, and the simple sight and idea of himself and his mate making love like this causing him to chuckle in euphoria. The cowboy leaned back, gaining the courage and need to increase his pace as he planted his hands on Hanzo’s knees behind him. He was practically rolling his hips with a grace and precision that had his breath coming out in wheezes as the cock moved inside of him, every inch of it pressing and rubbing against his insides in a way that had his head spinning.

Hanzo’s small room echoed every sound, from the bed creaking thanks to their messy, frantic movements, their heavy, wet breathing, to their sudden cries when a shift in pace or angle hit a specific spot just right. The sounds only increased when Jesse changed his angle, leaning forwards to press his palms onto Hanzo’s sturdy chest, cheekily rubbing the base of his cock against his lover’s stomach. He whined, pressing a hand against his lower belly to feel the tight heat growing.

“Is it deep enough for you?” Hanzo asked, digging his heels into the mattress without tearing the sheets. He grasped at Jesse’s fat, holding his cowboy in every place he could, even daring to rake his nails down his dark chest. “Maybe next time I’ll give you a bigger cock, see if we can take this even farther?”

“God yes, please,” Jesse exclaimed with an excited grin spread across his face, unable to hold back more laughter as Hanzo suddenly held down onto his thighs, verbally telling him to cease his sloppy movements. The cowboy was about to ask what he was doing when the prince began suddenly slamming his hips upwards. McCree’s ass bounced with the intrusion, the fat on his body jiggling from the sudden burst of speed as the sounds of slapping flesh mixed with his shaking cries. The dildo had already bumped into his prostate more than once, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out for much longer. “Hanzo, I’m gonna come for you,” McCree frantically sputtered out, a drop of saliva nearly falling from his mouth. “You’re gonna make me come so hard, baby...I’m gonna let it loose all over you...that sound good?”

The archer nodded, giddy and waiting as he watched his partner reach orgasm with all the love and passion in his eyes that he could muster. Putting forth all of his effort and energy, he increased the speed and power of his hips, the muscles in his belly tightening and burning with the effort, along with the anxious tug of his own climax teasing him as he relentlessly slammed the strap-on deep into Jesse’s body.

“Oh...oh my God, _ HANZO _ -”

Jesse couldn’t let out anymore words before he came with a wet, shocked gasp, white beads of come shooting onto Hanzo’s chest and belly, his balls tightening up painfully at the sheer force of it. Although his mind was riddled and dizzy, he focused his attention as the smaller man released his own come for a second time, back arching and head pressing into the pillows as the base of the toy worked its magic on him, causing him to whimper and call out Jesse’s name over and over and over again.

The two of them sat still for awhile, panting heavily and shaking as the beginnings of over-stimulation made itself known in both of their bodies. Jesse huffed as he removed the toy from his ass, reaching to grab his shirt from off of the floor as he wiped Hanzo’s chest clean. “Sorry ‘bout the mess, honey,” he commented, rolling up the dirty clothes and throwing them into a pile to be cleaned up later. “How’re you feeling? You came again for me, didn’t you?”

“I’m alright, and yes, I did.” The dragon chuckled, sated and comfortable with a content sparkle in his eye. “How’re you, Jesse? I hope I didn’t hurt you when I started thrusting like that,” he asked, clumsily slipping off the strap-on as he spread his legs to the cool air.

“I’m more than fine, Han,” He replied as he flopped down next to him on the bed, immediately pulling him close as he spoke to the dragon. “Trust me, that little number you did on me was perfect.” Jesse stared at him as they both gradually burst into a fit of giggles, tired and more than slap-happy from the events of the day, their current lovemaking session, and the sudden realization of the adventure that had brought the both of them to this exact moment in time.

The cowboy stopped his laughing before the archer did, pushing away bits of sweat-soaked hair that were stuck against Hanzo’s face as he kissed his forehead. “I just can’t imagine how our lives have already lead up to this,” Jesse mumbled against his hot skin.

The prince holding him with snug arms said nothing for a while, moving his head to kiss his rider. “Do you think it was some form of fate?”

McCree pursed his lips as he studied Hanzo’s face. “Maybe that’s what it is,” He answered. “I just hope fate only has good things planned for us in the future.”

“There’s no need to hope for that,” Hanzo added, placing a reassuring hand on Jesse’s cheek.

“And why’s that?”

“Because we both know that only good things will come to us from now on.”

\---

_ As the pair approached the horizon, the horse suddenly noted that there was an obstacle stopping them from continuing on their path. A jagged canyon cut like a wound through the earth, her purple shadows clinging to the walls and leading down to a dry riverbed below, calling the wolf and the stallion into the shaded depths. Both of them knew that simply falling into the seclusion of the canyon wouldn’t be an option. They needed to go west and reach the sun, and both of them were willing to do anything to reach their destination. _

_ The wolf turned back towards the horse for a moment, his piercing, bronze eyes flickering as if to tell the horse that he knew what must be done for the both of them, that they would have to take a chance if they wanted to make it over the cliff and across the canyon. Leaping forwards and reaching his head forwards as he gained a burst of speed, the wolf was the first to reach the edge and make a diving leap towards the chilling stretch of land down below. _

_ For a moment, even as he continued galloping, the horse’s heart dropped at the sight of his friend falling, afraid that the wolf wasn’t going to make it...until he heard the crying howl of the beast transform into the trumpeting bellow of something much larger, more powerful and even more grand than the spirit of a wild dog. He didn’t know what would be waiting at the bottom of the canyon, or if his companion would come back up to join him, but he knew that he would have to follow the wolf and trust in him that he would survive as well. _

_ Reaching the edge of the cliff, the horse took the same daring leap as the wolf, feeling his body change once again as his eyes made contact with the rolling, glittering form of a serpent-like being rising towards him from the depths of the canyon. Time seemed to pass by in slow motion as his legs expanded into broad wings, his face flattening into a wide, moon-like shape as the dragon below him shot through the air in a twisting motion. The night-blue beast reached out its talons towards the owl as the huge raptor carried itself upwards, reaching his own down-covered legs as they locked talons for a moment. _

_ And when their claws touched, the sky around them exploded into a mix of colors: the cool, encompassing blue from the sparrow, the wolf, and the dragon merged with the fiery red flames of the coyote, the stallion, and the owl. Above them and all around them, clouds parting as the multicolored sky called out their names with the twinkling of stars, the sun finally reaching her rays towards the pair as they finally reached the end of their journey together. _

_ However, they both knew that this was not the end. The spirits of the many creatures within them were tied to their pair of hearts, beating as one and inspiring them to fly together, to live together and for one another, and to continue their journey as one, strong, and driving heart. _


	12. Epilogue

Her legs shook and her hooves slipped on the scalding pavement as Olly finally stepped onto the abandoned road leading toward a miniscule town, the heat waves deterring her blurring eyesight from her destination as she attempting to keep track of what kinds of buildings lay before her. 

She had been wandering the desert for days, only stopping to cool her internal systems in any shade she could find before galloping all over the desert, hoping to find the larger city she had called home...or, at least a place to recharge and a person who could show her the way.

Although the town was close, the Omnic’s battery was dying, her core temperature overheating higher than it ever had before as the sun beat down on her relentlessly. Olly wasn’t an organic being, but she felt  _ sick _ , desperate for shade, maybe even to soak in cold water or recharge in someone’s cellar. She would do  _ anything _ to get a chance to rest, but first, she had to reach the town borders and reserve enough of her energy to ask someone for help.

As the OR-15 unit finally crossed the border into town, her optic lenses zoomed into what she could only assume to be several trucks parked in front of a general store, the main garage door opened to the shaded interior of what appeared to be a mechanic shop. From within came the grainy tunes of music from an old radio, the casual voices of humans, and the clangs and scrapings of machinery work drawing Olly within. Surely, they could help an Omnic like her?

“Hello?” She called out, wary to step any further. Something in her security protocol told her that a defensive and malevolent being was nearby, but she let her powerful, yet youthful voice call out anyways. At the sound of her booming call, the work stopped abruptly, along with the conversation that was covering up most of the music from the radio, which still played. “I am an OR-15 Omnic Service Unit who has gotten lost. I’m simply hoping to look for some sort of mechanical assistance, as well as-”

Olly was interrupted as two massive, snarling Rottweilers bolted from the dimmed innards of the garage, foamed drool splattering from their teeth as they barked and stood their ground against the centaur-like creature. The Omnic in question reared back and pulled away immediately: as of right now she had no way of defending herself, had no way of even pushing the dogs away from her if they decided to attack. She didn’t even have a bit of energy to run away if needed, and although there was no way that even the largest, most powerful dog could take on a full-sized OR-15, Olly didn’t want to land herself into any more trouble if she accidentally hurt one of the canines in question.

Thankfully, one of the humans working in the garage bolted out, chasing the dogs away as he stopped to face Olly, raising his hands in apology as he confronted the massive Omnic. Jesus, he had never gotten the chance to see an OR-15 unit up close, and this one was  _ massive _ , especially as she reared back to her full height like a spooked horse. “Hey! I’m gonna need you to stay calm…”

That was too late. Before he could speak anymore words her battery finally gave up it’s last percentage of energy, and in a final whir of mechanics, Olly collapsed.

\---

“...now, we’ve been told from authorities that the Omnic Unit was originally assigned to protect and serve a city closer to the eastern border of New Mexico, yet she apparently found herself in western Texas and traveled all the way here, simply looking for help.”

The news reporter shifted out of the way to allow for the camera man to zoom in on a much better view of the collapsed form underneath the cover of a tent, a handful of people hooking the machine up to several monitors and filling her various holding tanks and veins with a coolant solution. “As you can see here, specialized crews are working to keep the unit’s core temperature down as they recharge her battery, and they are planning on continuing their investigation with an interrogation as to where exactly she was taken to and what happened to her, but of course, they’re going to wait until she’s fully alive and alert. Luckily, from what the crews working here have told us, this OR-15 unit is looking to make a smooth recovery…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes this fic! I've been working on this piece since the start of this summer and I'm proud to say that I've officially finished one of the first full fanfiction's I've written in quite a long time. 
> 
> I may update this fic with links to concept art I'm planning on creating for this story and the sequel I may be working on soon, but other than that, I'd like to thank you all for stopping by and reading this, as well as leaving comments and kudos, it really does mean a lot! 
> 
> I'd also like to thank @ becquerel (on tumblr) for beta-reading and helping me fix some issues that we had in the first few chapters, as well as teaching me better writing/grammar tips to better improve my writing! 
> 
> Thanks again!! <3  
> \- Allan

**Author's Note:**

> Also, for anyone interested, this story is based on [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnlFTF56P0k)


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